Coma Dream
by elisesdean
Summary: After getting hit by a truck, Emma lands herself in a coma. The dream world becomes more enticing than the real world... or does it?
1. Chapter 1

**i-am-the-savior asked you: prompt: Emma is in a coma for a few months (doesn't matter how) and she lives this alternate reality where her and Regina are married and have a family and when she comes out of the coma, she realizes she wants that to come true.**

**When the scene breaks look like this: ~0~0~0~0~0~, they are changing between reality and Emma's coma dream. When they look like this: 0~0~0~0~0~0, they are staying in the same place.**

Regina had just pulled out the enchiladas that she was hoping to entice the local sheriff/resident savior of Storybrooke with to let her have just a little more time with Henry, to let her have only a dinner with Henry. She had been doing well over the last couple years. She was reinstated as Mayor now and things were looking on the up and up.

And, as for dinner assuming she could get Emma to allow it and stay with them as it wouldn't be an entire loss that an actual grown up that didn't quiver in fear nor glare in disdain—and that Regina just so happened to be overwhelmingly completely, utterly, irrevocably, and most importantly, silently in love with—would be there too.

It was as normal an evening as it could have ever been.

Then the phone rang.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma had been walking from Grannies to her bug at the station. The days were shorter this time of year and it was already dark. She scuttled in a quick hop skip as she listened to her iPod. Her hood was on and she didn't see the headlights until it was too late.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma shot up in bed. Her eyes were wide. A scared, cold sweat broke out all over. She was panting as she looked around.

"Darling?" Regina's sleepy, groggy voice broke the evening of Emma's pants. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Emma looked over to the brunette. Since when did Regina call her 'darling'? She did a double take. Since when did Regina sleep in the same bed and since when did Regina wear sky blue, silk low-cut pajamas?

"Emma?" Regina sat up, scooted behind the blonde on her knees and put her hands on Emma's back and shoulders, "Honey, what's going on? What is it?" She leaned forward and kissed Emma's shoulder, neck and cheek.

Emma could really get used to this. She leaned into the brunette, "Nothing. Just a bad dream… I got hit by a truck or something."

Regina's hands fell down to Emma's waist. She wrapped them around her middle and squeezed. "That's no good."

"Yeah…" Emma settled into the brunette. She looked down at their hands and found matching gold bands attached to diamond rings that were so completely the both of them in ring form that Emma could barely handle it. She looked over to Regina, "We're married." She made it sound like a statement and not a question.

Regina gave the blonde a bright, amused smile, "Yes, we are. I'm pretty sure you haven't done anything to warrant divorce, so we should stay that way…"

Emma gave a half smile to the woman before looking down in thought. Regina pulled Emma into her form a little tighter. Emma couldn't help the natural reaction of snuggling closer.

This life seemed pretty perfect. The only thing that was not agreeing with her was that she didn't know how any of this happened…

Emma tried to think about all the information she had ever learned in the last few years. The only thing that kept coming to mind was true love's kiss. She leaned up and took her wife's—HER WIFE'S—lips with her own.

She had never experienced anything so natural yet raw and pure. She was kissing this woman that she'd been secretly falling for since she met her.

And then came the boom.

The boom that burst forth once a curse was seemingly broken. Memories flooded back and Emma remembered everything. She had—they had kids. They had Henry and two more girls. Twins. Rayna and Jane. They were four. How could she not remember them? How could she not remember her life with Regina? She pulled back and let tears come forth as she turned from the brunette.

"Darling?"

Emma shook her head, "I'm fine."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina and Henry ran through the ER doors, Snow and Charming already there.

"Do we know anything?" Regina's eyes were crazy as she looked around the room expecting to see the blonde sitting calmly playing some sort of sick fucking joke on her and their son—she was so frantic she couldn't even comprehend that she had just referred to Henry as their son in her head.

Snow swallowed hard and stood up to begin pacing, "No. They just got her back there. There is some head trauma and what looks to be a broken femur; probably another thing or two. The driver was drunk. They think she didn't see her."

Regina had a fierce look in her eye, "She?" Her tone was anything but innocent.

"That's all they told us. The driver was a woman—"

"Was?"

"She wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The impact…" Snow shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks, "But, they have every confidence that Emma will pull through."

"…Good."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma took the girls to daycare early. She'd apparently taken the girls to daycare everyday—so her new memories told her. Her memories also told her that she was still the sheriff, her parents still weren't thrilled with her falling in love with the evil queen, however, the town was thrilled with the nice mayor and the adorable children, and Henry was happy that Emma broke the curse and the fact that she and his other mom loved each other was the best bonus a kid could ever get.

She slumped into her chair at her desk and sighed. She fired up her computer and waited. She clicked on a search engine and typed in, 'Spontaneous Amnesia'.

A blog, regular amnesia, a couple studies that she was sure she didn't think she was going to understand, and a website that described 'transient global amnesia' as 'temporary memory loss' were what came up.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Snow stared at the woman for a moment, "Regina. I know I'm not your favorite person, and I know that I have no right to ask—"

"I can't heal her." Regina swallowed not staring, "Rumple can't either. Magic can't fix head trauma. Magic can cure the common cold, it can help with most viruses, it can take away physical pain. But head trauma, broken bones… Magic can't do that. Only trained, licensed doctors. It's anyone's guess on what can happen once she's out of surgery."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma had broken her left femur in two places and her left clavicle. The first night they were there, they were most concerned with Emma's head trauma. After her body had had time to rest, they took her back in and put a rod and screws to fix the fracture in her leg.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma started researching, or trying to research when Henry's whisper filled her ears.

_"My mom's really worried about you. She refuses to come in as long and Grams and Gramps are in here and they refuse to leave the hospital. I think my mom's the most worried of all of us. You need to come back because I have this feeling that mom's not gonna make it in this world without you…"_

Emma jumped and whipped her head around the room. She saw no one. "Kid?" She looked out into the main office but again saw an empty room, "Henry?" There was no response.

"What the hell?" She asked herself as she sat completely in her desk chair instead of just the very edge—though she was now on edge literally. Her back stayed off the backrest as she sat up straight. She stared at the computer screen and suddenly she saw a new tab open and a new search begin, 'coma dreams' was typed in. She looked at her hands and saw them typing away. Jesus, she needed to get a grip on things…

She didn't know why she was researching this and clicked back to one of the other tabs. But Henry's words, or not-Henry's words echoed in her mind. This time, she zoned out completely as she let her mind wander.

She didn't even hear the clacking of her wife' heals or smell that natural apple-y scent that is all Regina until she felt her warmth from behind.

"Spontaneous amnesia and coma dreams?" Regina asked as she leaned over the blonde and clicked on the different tabs.

"Yeah, uh…"

"Darling… You know all of this isn't real. You know it's fake and that you are in fact in a coma."

"I…" Emma stared at Regina completely confused, "What?"

"Don't act like you don't know something suspicious hasn't happened… Living one life until you _dream_ you get hit by a car then 'waking up' in another life? Emma, my love, you did get hit by the car."

"And I'm in a coma, dreaming about you?"

"Yes. I'm—everyone in this world is your subconscious."

"Even Henry's whispering in my ear and vanishing?"

Regina knit her brows, "Henry whispering and vanishing? No… No, that's actually Henry whispering to you. He's the first to get through to you…"

"The first to get through to me?"

"Yes. You can hear the people in your real world when you want to."

Emma sat back thinking everything over. Regina waited patiently as Emma finally opened her mouth, "Okay… so, if this is me in a coma, why am I dreaming of you here in Storybrooke and us as a couple and not like… being a princess or something or fighting for a prince or princess or whatever since I've been to the Enchanted Forest and seen things? I don't even think I like you _that_ much."

"Oh, Emma…." Regina laughed that wickedly delighted laugh. "Did you hear yourself just then? Come on, my love. You're better than that. You know you are. Just like you know you're in love with me. You're dreaming of a life with me in Storybrooke because you like Storybrooke better than any other town you lived in and you definitely liked it better than the Enchanted Forest. You're dreaming of us with Henry and the twins because you are as hopeless a romantic as your parents… And as you have come to know the real me to be. You want a happily ever after and that, in your idyllic dream world, comes with more children." Regina took a step into her wife's business, causing the blonde to spread her legs. The brunette took a blonde curl and traced it down to its end.

Emma eyed the brunette, "I'll admit to falling in love with you, but I'm pretty sure my idea of a dream world is not Storybrooke, Maine… I'm pretty sure that it's you and me on a tropical island that was only us unless we wanted to hang out with the kid or other people…"

"Other people… from Storybrooke. Because the tropical island is the vacation and the ideal dream world is back here. This is home to you."

Emma thought that one over.

"Damn…"

**AN: I know I've been gone a while... Grad School Apps, Kidney Stones, Finals... too much to handle and not enough time to handle it!**

**I hope you enjoyed! Let me know by commenting, liking, following! Thoughts and feels?**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I have a new username...obviously. This is indeed the former JMolover13!**

**Like last time, when the scene breaks look like this: ~0~0~0~0~0~, they are changing between reality and Emma's coma dream. When they look like this: 0~0~0~0~0~0, they are staying in the same place.**

_"…You want a happily ever after and that, in your idyllic dream world, comes with more children." Regina took a step into her wife's business, causing the blonde to spread her legs. The brunette took a blonde curl and traced it down to its end._

_Emma eyed the brunette, "I'll admit to falling in love with you, but I'm pretty sure my idea of a dream world is not Storybrooke, Maine… I'm pretty sure that it's you and me on a tropical island that was only us unless we wanted to hang out with the kid or other people…"_

_"Other people… from Storybrooke. Because the tropical island is the vacation and the ideal dream world is back here. This is home to you."_

_Emma thought that one over._

_"Damn…"_

Emma sat there a bit longer stewing over everything she just learned.

Regina now leaned against the desk as she took the blonde in, "Emma?"

"Huh?" Emma grunted.

"You have a choice you know… You can go back… Or… You can stay here. With me. For a price."

The last sentence was spoken under the woman's breath and Emma was not about to comment on it. She didn't want to begin to think of what that price could be. She did however think of another way to deflect from the all too real possibility of staying with this Regina.

"But if I go back I'm with the real you."

Regina pushed from the desk and walked to the window. She shed her coat and blazer as she went, "Yes, but the real me might not be as…_willing_ as I am."

"Willing?" Emma stared at the back of the brunette.

Regina turned back with a smirk, "Sexually." She snapped her fingers and the clothes she was wearing were gone. She snapped them again and Emma's clothes were gone as well.

Emma stared at the naked woman before her and then herself. Regina smirked and turned back to the window and stared from the second story office. It took Emma a moment to realize that Regina was standing in all her glory looking out a window.

"Woman! What are you doing?!" Emma stood from her seat and ran over to her trying to pull the brunette away from the window.

"I'm curious… just where did you dream up my naked body? Were you peeping ever so _innocently_ on me all those nights you were on stakeouts to talk to Henry via walkie talkie?"

Emma ignored that one, "People could look up and see you!"

Regina took Emma's deflection as a positive—though she knew the answer as she was part of Emma's subconscious. She grabbed Emma's hands and wrapped them around her, pressing them against her stomach, "Yes, that's the point, my love." She let one hand travel around the back of Emma's neck and pull her in for a kiss. "Exhibitionism has always been one of our kinks…"

"It has?"

"Yes, darling. You _love_ the idea of getting caught making love to the wickedest witch there ever was… And that's what it would be, wouldn't it?" She smirked as she felt Emma's lips trail across her neck.

Emma's hands wrapped further around Regina's body, one traveling north, the other enveloping more and more skin around the brunette's abdomen. "That's what, what would be?"

"It would be making love. You would never down right fuck me… even if that's all I ever agreed to. You would always make love to me."

Emma bit Regina's neck harder than needed.

"Mm!" The brunette grunted, "No need to be rough as you come to realizations about yourself."

_"Henry? Are you ready? We need to go home so you can rest…"_

Emma whipped her head around the office as Regina's voice filled the room.

"What the hell did you say that for? That's not sexy…"

"I didn't." Regina turned into the blonde, "Regina did. It seems you enjoy my voice most. I wonder how long mommy and daddy have been trying to get through and you've heard nothing…"

"I wonder why it's you and Henry."

Regina laughed, "No you don't. You know why. You want us to be a family… You're listening for your family. And while Mommy Margaret and Daddy David are your birth parents, and while you'll try ever so hard to believe that they are your parents and you'll let them treat you as their daughter and love you and you will love them to an extent… You will never truly think of them as your family. Not until you have your real family. Not until you have me and Henry and the girls…"

Emma looked down at the still naked woman, deflecting again, "I did accidentally see you naked once… It's forever ingrained in my memory."

"I know." Regina smirked and leaned in for a kiss. "I see our moment has been ruined by the voices and the realizations…" She snapped her fingers and they were clothed again.

~0~0~0~0~0~

It had been 12 days. Emma still hadn't woken up.

Regina forced Henry out of the hospital for changes of clothes, showers and hopefully a few naps.

And it had been 12 days since Snow and Charming left the hospital. They allowed Regina to come and sit vigil with them at Emma's bedside, but those were clearly the tenser times; no one spoke. No one got too close to Emma as no one wanted to show affection—weakness.

Regina generally opted to sit in the hall and try to listen for Emma's name from the nurses' station to catch up on her condition. Her vitals were always remaining steady. Dr. Whale wanted to wait it out a couple more days before deciding on if she would be able to function if she woke up.

It was in her third hour of sitting outside that she decided to try to get husband and wife to go home, if only for an hour, to take a shower, possibly a nap. Have something that wasn't hospital food.

The two were offended that Regina would even suggest such a thing, but after hearing their grandsons' worry as he said, "I think my mom's right…I'll go with you." They decided that a quick shower and a stop to Granny's wouldn't be a big deal.

"You will stay here the entire time?" Snow didn't let her question sound like a question, but more like an order, "And you will call us if anything happens."

"I will." Regina nodded. She wasn't quite sure how she got nominated to coma-sit the blonde, but she actually felt an overwhelming relief as the door closed behind her son and his grandparents. She pulled a chair up close to Emma's bed and sat quietly.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma would hear Regina every time she told Henry it was time to go. She would stop whatever she was doing in her day and listen. Time passed differently, she knew and understood that. It seemed that once a month Regina's voice would seep into her brain.

But her mind's Regina was making it harder and harder for her to even begin to think of a way out. She was enjoying herself too much. If her smile didn't prove it, her naked and sweaty body did.

"Darling, you need to make a decision soon." Regina spoke out of breath. Hair sticking to her neck and cheek was wiped away as she sat up in all her sweaty glory. She stood from the bed and looked at her wife.

"What do you mean? A decision on what?"

"You need to decide if you're going to stay here with me, or go back… You've been here a year and you're still no more relaxed to stay here or motivated to go back. But… darling, it's time to decide. Today."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina listened to the beeps of the monitors. She sat back and tried to relax, but with each passing breath, with each beat she heard, she knew that the reason she was listening to the monitors was because Emma was hooked up to them. It was because Emma was lying there before her unable to wake up.

She swallowed as she considered the things she'd heard about and movies she'd seen of people in a coma.

The one thing that seemed consistent was that no one actually knew if talking to people in a coma helped wake them; no one knew, but they liked to believe it did.

Regina stared at the sleeping blonde's face, "Sleeping beauty…" She mumbled.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Why today?" Emma asked still naked brunette.

Regina opened her mouth to answer, but the real Regina's voice filled the room.

_"Sleeping Beauty."_

"That's why. You look around for me even when you have me in a room." She paused and took the blonde in, "I think you've already made your decision, but I've made you too comfy."

"You are pretty comfy."

"Emma… listen to me. I'm in the room at your side now. We both know that. And I think that's what you've been waiting for. So decide today before it's too late and I don't come back."

Emma crossed her arms over the sheets she pulled up in defiance of the other woman. She glared at her, telling her that she didn't want to make a decision. Regina though, rolled her eyes, waved her hand and poofed from their bedroom.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina looked around after she first spoke and quickly fixed her eyes on the door. She waved a hand, magicking a silencer to the lock so no one would be able to eavesdrop.

She stared at the blonde. She felt all the fear that had been boiling in the last few days; she felt the hurt and of course, she felt the anger. She let the last emotion out first.

"Only an idiot, only you, _Sheriff_, would walk about town in the streets at night in a black coat with your music blaring in your ears." She scoffed as she looked around the room, "What the hell were you thinking!? I mean, honestly!" The brunette huffed a sigh as she looked back at the sleeping blonde. Anger had already given way—it wasn't near as fun to fight and call Emma names when it was one-sided.

Regina sighed again and pursed her lips, "You scared everyone. You're still scaring everyone…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma, knowing she wasn't going to see her Regina the rest of the day, went to the diner, got some lunch and went to the station.

She sat in her chair, propped her feet up, ate a couple bites of her burger and decided to make a decision.

_"Only an idiot, only you, Sheriff, would walk about town in the streets at night in a black coat with your music blaring in your ears."_

Emma glared up at the air as she listened to the real Regina. She should have known that the first thing the woman would do once she got in the same room as her would be to rant at her and tell her it was her fault for getting hit by a car…

She took another bite of her burger.

_"What the hell were you thinking!? I mean, honestly!" _

Emma didn't bother swallowing yet, "I was thinking that no one was going to be out at that time and I needed a distraction from all the feelings you give me, woman! What do you want from me?" She gruffly chewed the rest of her bite and swallowed.

_"You scared everyone. You're still scaring everyone…"_

Emma pursed her lips. Not once in the 12 months she'd been there had she thought that she was worrying anyone… She just thought she was supposed to make a decision…

Now she was realizing what that decision really was. It was a decision to live or to be seduced by the afterlife that she wouldn't really have—not until Regina died too. She couldn't let Regina die. And she wasn't so sure she wanted to die—or stay in a coma—either.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The brunette placed her elbow on the bed and held her head up with her hand, "Did you know that you are the only person I can hold a conversation with that is over 13 years old and the conversation not be about what I'd like to order?..." She smiled a sad smile, "This is where you would give some sort of un-witty retort before I would roll my eyes, huff and start an argument out of spite. That would be where you would laugh at me in that…utterly annoying way you have…" She looked off in thought.

"Emma, I need you to wake up soon. I don't think that this town will be able to function without you here…." She looked up as a tear ran down her cheek, "I won't be able to function without you here. I mean, I can barely function with you here, but that's better than nothing. You make me better than nothing. I need that Emma."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina appeared in the threshold of the room and Emma immediately stood, not sure what this Regina was going to do. She hadn't been around while the real Regina spoke since that first time, and with what she said that afternoon… She wasn't sure what to do.

Her mind's Regina spoke, "About that price that you have if you stay with me. The one that you pretended to never hear from my lips…"

_"Did you know that you are the only person I can hold a conversation with that is over 13 years old and the conversation not be about what I'd like to order?..."_

"Aren't we lucky for that?" Emma looked up at the ceiling then over to her mind's Regina.

They stared at each other a long time and finally Emma spoke again.

"It's death isn't it. Life with you would be pain for a long time… until you decide to die in our real life…"

"And we both know that won't happen without a fight or a manipulation of some kind…"

Emma scratched the back of her neck, nodding.

_"This is where you would give some sort of un-witty retort before I would roll my eyes, huff and start an argument out of spite. That would be where you would laugh at me in that…utterly annoying way you have…"_

The blonde smirked up at the ceiling, at the real Regina.

"Emma you need to make a decision. You can stay here with me or you can leave."

Emma stared at the woman she'd fallen so completely for, but she knew that even though she was literally her dream woman, that she wasn't her dream woman…

_"Emma, I need you to wake up soon. I don't think that this town will be able to function without you here…."_

Her dream woman was the woman talking. Saying things that she knew she'd never be able to get out of her if she were not in a coma.

_"I won't be able to function without you here. I mean, I can barely function with you here, but that's better than nothing. You make me better than nothing. I need that Emma."_

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina looked down at the blonde's face as she realized she used the words 'I,' 'need' and 'Emma' together in a sentence. She knew that there would never be getting around her attraction, but she also never thought that she would ever voice the attraction aloud in any way. However, since she was completely alone with an unconscious body that she wasn't sure would ever hear her or know what she was saying, she decided to make her feelings explicit.

"I know that you know that you don't need any of us; that you could leave this town and be fine. You would go about your days as if nothing happened here. Of course, you'd take Henry, but you'd leave the rest of us because you really, really don't need us. All we do is cause you problems. But we all need you. We need you to come back to us… I need you to come back to me… I _need_ you." She felt another tear form in her eyes and tilted her head down, letting the teardrop fall with a blink.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma sat. There was nothing more to do and her knees were weak. She looked at her mind's Regina, who only smiled, nodded and vanished.

_"I know that you know that you don't need any of us; that you could leave this town and be fine. You would go about your days as if nothing happened here. Of course, you'd take Henry, but you'd leave the rest of us because you really, really don't need us. All we do is cause you problems. But we all need you. We need you to come back to us… I need you to come back to me… __I need you__."_

"Regina." Emma whispered and closed her eyes.

A golden aura wrapped its way around her and she felt kind of floaty and weird.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"There I said it." Regina stood and moved to the opposite end of the room facing away from the blonde. She turned her head to the side, as if Emma could really hear her, and let her voice waver with her next words, "I need you, Emma Swan…" Her voice then hardened, "So wake the hell up." She let her head drop as she turned back around. "Look, if not for anyone else, wake up for Henry." She sighed as she walked back to her chair.

~0~0~0~0~0~

_"There I said it. I need you, Emma Swan… So wake the hell up." _

But Regina's voice cut through and she was grounded again.

_"Look, if not for anyone else, wake up for Henry." _

She tried again, the golden glowy, floaty thing happened. And she was gone from her dream world.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina heard a spike of the monitors and stared at the blonde. Nothing. "It doesn't surprise me that you're a tease…" She rolled her eyes and unconsciously leaned forward, taking Emma's hand. She didn't even realize that she was tracing Emma's fingers and turning her hand over to trace the lines on her palm until she brought her hand up to her lips and kissed Emma's palm.

Regina immediately set the hand down.

…She _kissed_ Emma's palm.

Clearly she was out of her mind. She scooted the chair further down the bed and decided that a very, very light snooze was a good idea.

She didn't turn when she heard the monitors spike again, and she certainly didn't consider moving when she thought she felt her hair being pulled just the slightest amount.

"You…" A grunt broke the silence in the room and it wasn't Regina.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina didn't poof out of Emma's dream office. She watched from the outer office with a smile on her face. "Goodbye Emma Swan. We will meet again."

**AN: Thoughts and feels? Please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Basically from here on, there will still be a dream world. Though visits, I believe will be few and far between… I am still working and editing and re-editing, so anything I say now may not be true even tomorrow! But, I hope you enjoy. And, again, the worlds are divided based on scene breaks: ~0~0~0~0~0~, means they are changing between reality and Emma's dream world, and: 0~0~0~0~0~0, means they are staying in the same place. **

Regina sat up quickly in her hospital chair. She looked over to Emma. The blonde's eyes fluttered open then closed, blinking a long blink. After a couple more tries, her eyes found Regina's.

"Oh my gods. Emma?" Regina looked to the door, but Emma's voice stopped her.

"Too." Emma grunted out.

"To? To what?"

Emma stared at the brunette, "You tease too."

Regina let out a half sob, half laugh, "I tease too…" She smiled as she nodded, "I do." She got up and rounded the bed to the door, "Get Whale." She made sure to give all the nurses the sassy evil queen look.

Emma watched her round back to her chair. Then their eyes met. Emma couldn't help the relieved, happy smile the brunette was giving her.

Then Emma remembered.

She remembered everything. And she remembered nothing. She remembered that everything that happened to them didn't actually happen—that all her memories of a full-blown courtship and marriage—even all the amazing sex that led to magical twins by the way—wasn't reality; she remembered that the only thing that happened to them was nothing.

It was all completely trippy.

Dr. Whale came in, gave her an initial check up and explained what all they had done (and that she wouldn't be walking for another few months at least). After his talk, when she thought there would be peace, her parents and son came in. Snow and Charming immediately making a big deal about Emma waking up and Regina not calling them; then of course Regina's retaliation.

Emma watched the three argue and started closing her eyes. She felt a dip on the bed and looked, seeing her son take her hand.

"I love you, mom." He smiled sadly, "I'm glad you're awake."

"Me too, kid." She whispered with her own smile. "Do me a favor?"

"Get them out?"

She gave the boy a half nod, and Henry was up before her eyes fully closed. She had to remember what world she was in. She had to remember that Regina didn't love her, they weren't married or even dating, that they didn't have amazing sex all the time and didn't have the girls that she'd found she'd grown wildly attached to. She had to remember that she and Regina barely spoke and were always bickering or flat out yelling at each other. She had to remember to be standoffish.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Regina dropped them off a dinner the night that Emma got to go home. That was also the night that Henry was no longer staying with her but with the Charming's. Again.

Over the years, she'd gotten to see him on the weekends and major holidays. She also got to join in on the major events. But she didn't really get her son back. And now he was gone again.

She knocked on the door of the apartment, hoping that Henry or Emma would answer. But, she was greeted with the annoyed look of Snow White.

"I brought you dinner." Regina spoke softly, trying to peer into the overprotective, domineering mother's home to see either her son or the woman that she… needed.

"Why?" Snow eyed the enchiladas then slowly looked up at her face.

Regina swallowed, "Well, first to apologize for my behavior this afternoon. And second because I know that this is a busy time for you—taking care of Emma and Henry and..Charming—and I figured dinner would be one less thing."

"Is that food?" Emma's voice was heard.

Snow turned, "Regina's brought us dinner."

Henry ran over to the door with a smile for his mother and looked at the dish, "Oh! Enchiladas! Thanks mom!" He hugged her and took the food from her.

Snow stepped between Regina and her house, "Thank you, Regina." She gave the brunette a hard look before shutting the door.

Regina felt her jaw jut to the side. She nodded once to the closed door before she walked away, "You're welcome…" She whispered.

Just as she was nearing her car, her phone buzzed.

_Thanks for dinner, Regina. Sorry you couldn't stay…_

It was a text from one Emma Swan.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Regina brought them dinner four times a week. She always received a curt thank you from Snow and was dismissed at the door. She never got to see Emma, but her son always hugged her. And that thank you text always came.

She didn't know why she kept doing it. She thought she might be going insane, or becoming a masochist. Those were the only explanations that made sense. That and being able to hear Emma asking if she smelt food; or knowing she did and saying how good it smelled. It seemed that was all the encouragement Regina needed to make more dinners.

This night, she dropped off some empanadas. They were one of her best dishes. She knew Emma loved Mexican food most and that was why she made them. After learning of Emma's love of Mexican food, Regina had made sure to learn all the dishes she possibly could—so as to be able to spend more time with Henry, of course. Empanadas were some of Emma's favorite; she knew that from experience. She just hoped that Emma would say something before she was rejected once again at the door.

But it never came. Emma had been napping.

"Thank you, Regina." Snow shut the door on her face.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma woke up to kisses on her neck.

"I've missed you so much, my love. I knew you'd come back…"

Emma knit her brows, "R'gina? Wha—am I back in a coma?"

"No." Regina smiled, "But you are dreaming."

"Dreaming… And I get to come back here in my dreams?"

"Apparently… What do you want to do? Henry and the girls are at school and daycare. We have plenty of time to do…whatever you want." Regina had a dirty look in her eyes.

Emma started sniffing the air. "Do you smell that?"

"Mexican food. Your favorite."

Emma turned for the bedroom door, "Regina…"

The dream world Regina watched as Emma faded. "You'll be back, my love. And I will be here."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma woke up just as the door clicked, and just as sore and broken as she was before she fell asleep. Reality, nay, recovery was a bitch. She grumped as she looked at her leg and arm in a cast and a sling, "Was that Regina?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

Snow turned with a platter in her hands, "It was."

"How come she never stays for dinner?"

It was an innocent question. But, Snow stopped moving. She was stalk still as she stared at her daughter. It was like Snow White, the epitome of all things good just sucked the life out of the entire room. Then, she started moving again as if nothing happened.

Snow took a breath as she set the platter down on the counter. "I'm sure she has other things to do. Besides, the Evil Queen sitting at my table like all is hunky dory? No. Just… no."

Emma slid into her wheelchair with the help of her son and wheeled over to the stairs, waiting for her father or her son or her mother to pull her up so she could wheel to the table.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Later that night, Emma stared at her new phone's screen until the light started to fade. She hit send and immediately regretted it.

_I liked the empanadas most… Thanks._

It was the stupidest text she had ever sent in her life. The response that came was immediate.

You're welcome…? What did I do to deserve different words from 'Thanks for dinner, Regina'?

Oh shit. Regina knew that something was up. She knew that Emma was in love with her. She knew that Emma was desperately plotting ways to escape the confines of the apartment and go to the mansion to try to woo her! She knew! She knew everything!

Or. She was merely curious why Emma chose that night to start a textersation.

Emma pursed her lips. She tried to look through the make shift 'walls' of her room. 'Walls' which relied on rope tied to hooks in the real walls and sheets draped from the ropes, held together with clothespins. She tried to see if anyone was still up, but when she heard nothing and saw no movement, she assumed it was okay to let her emotions loose. She smiled.

Even if Regina knew she was in love with her, the brunette text her back.

And Emma responded.

_I liked the empanadas most because I could use my hands. I didn't have to wait for anything to be cut up for me. I didn't have to be waited on._

I'll bet Snow is enjoying being Mommy Dearest.

Emma laughed. She covered her mouth and waited for any stirring. Nothing.

_She won't buy anything I write down on the grocery list. It's been a month and a half being cooped up here, and if I don't get some Count Chocula soon…_

She won't by you Count Chocula? What kind of a mother refuses to buy her child sugary cereal that doesn't have any actual health benefits?

_Hey lady, I can feel your sarcasm oozing through my phone. And I'll have you know Count Chocula has PLENTY of health benefits. It's got the General Mills check mark on the box. It guarantees whole grain and calcium._

Did you google a box cover?

_… yes._

You really want your Count Chocula that bad?

_No. I want my Count Chocula, Boo Berries, Frankenberry, Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy that bad… All of them are on back on the shelves!_

What else does she not let you have?

_Um… Gummies. I even asked for the healthy kind and not the Scooby-Doo or Monster's Inc. kind, but she never buys them for me._

The healthy kind?

_Mott's._

Ah. Why Mott's?

_Because they're way gummier and better than the kid's targeted kinds. Thems are nasty in comparison… I also want some curly fries and/or tater tots to go with my dino-nuggets—those she does buy. And um, I want some powdered donuts and Eggos. And taquitos and burritos. And pizza—sometimes she buys me frozen pizza. But she has yet to buy me Mexican food…_

That bitch.

_Hey now. That's my mom… Which is still weird to say._

Nothing. No response. Nada.

_You still awake?_

Yes.

_You didn't say anything._

What was I supposed to say to that? 'I'm sorry. Remember it's my fault that you and your mother are the same age, and it's my fault that you're so jaded about everything yet so obviously still a child in so many ways…' I don't think so.

_…Will you bring dinner tomorrow?_

Of course.

_Will you stay this time?_

You want that or are you being polite?

_I want it_

Then I will stay.

_Thanks for dinner, Regina._

0~0~0~0~0~0

The next evening, Regina brought taquitos and burritos made from scratch. She also had a grocery sack for Emma. And, she was wearing a power suit minus the jacket. She'd always felt Emma's eyes on her more when she wore her ass hugging slacks and a vest.

Sassgina was back to play as a smirk formed on her red-painted lips while she rang the bell.

Snow answered and stared at the plate in Regina's hands, "Hello, Regina."

Regina strutted into the apartment as if she owned it and handed the dinner as if it were a courtesy offering of being 'invited'. "Hello, Snow." She gave Snow a classic Evil Queen smile before turning to see her son making his way toward her.

"Hey, Mom!" He hugged her, "What's in the sack?" He tried to peer in.

Regina batted him away, "A present for Emma." She turned and looked around the room, seeing where Emma had to have been hiding.

"Uh, Regina?" Snow called, an anger in her voice only Regina and Charming could hear.

"Yes, dear?" Regina turned unenthused.

"What are you doing?"

Regina smirked, "Emma didn't tell you? I'm invited." The last two words were syrupy sweet and almost evil. She gave dear Snow White a smile then continued her trek to the blonde's cave.

"_Emma!_" Snow stopped Regina from moving further once more, "Is sleeping."

"No she's not." Emma called from behind the sheet.

Regina gave Snow a superior look the turned pulled a sheet slightly back to see the blonde. Emma was wearing that God-awful tank top that made Regina's heart rate quicken and some cut off flannel pants. She swallowed hard and let her eyes land anywhere but on the blonde.

"I know I look like crap, you don't have to not look at me like your eyes are gonna tell me something I don't know." Emma gave Regina a look then stared at the bag, "What is that?"

Regina smirked as she showed her a box of sugary cereal and her Mott's gummies.

Emma's jaw dropped happily like she was a small child in the know. She then masked her features and looked out of the 'room' to see if Snow was watching them. She waved Regina over and silently asked the brunette to stuff the bag under her bed.

"Thank you." She hugged Regina's neck as best as her one-armed self could after Regina succeeded in doing her job. She pulled away and realized what happened. Her immediate response was, "Sorry. I'm on lots of drugs. Painkillers. I got that rod and screws..and you know, the broken clavicle and the head injury…"

Regina stared into her eyes; she hadn't pulled away from Emma, the blonde merely stopped hugging her, "I don't mind, Emma." She whispered.

Emma stared at Regina's lips as she breathed her next words out, "You just called me by my name…"

"I did."

Emma swallowed and whispered, "Are you looking at me the way I'm looking at you right now?"

Regina continued whispering. Neither woman wanted to be heard. "I might be."

"Hey, Mom!" Henry's voice was close and Regina stood up, crossing her arms just in time for the sheet to fly up, pull from its clothespins and fall to the floor.

"That's my wall, kid!" Emma tried to not sound like her intimate moment with Regina—the real Regina—was not just ruined by their son.

"Sorry…" He gave both of his mothers a sheepish, cheeky smile, "I'm excited that mom's here." He said as he picked up the sheet and started putting it back together, "Dinner's ready."

"What are we having?" Emma looked at the brunette woman across from her.

"Taquitos and burritos."

Emma smirked first before a smile took her features over. She nodded, "That sounds good."

0~0~0~0~0~0

_Were you?_

Emma texted Regina as soon as she was sure that everyone was settled in for the night and going to sleep.

Was I what?

_Were you looking at me like I was looking at you?_

How were you looking at me?

Regina was sitting up in her bed now. She had her arms wrapped around her knees and was staring at her phone, waiting for it to light up; she had never been so nervous in her life. Not even when Daniel gave her, her first kiss. Daniel had never made her this nervous in their entire time together.

_I was looking at you._

Regina stared at her text with knit brows. Just as she was going to let her thumbs pad over the touch screen to question what that meant, a vibration filled her palms and another text bubble came up.

_I was looking at you like I did in my coma dream…_

This might have been confusing Regina more than the other text alone would have.

You're not going to give me more than that, are you?

_No. Thanks for dinner, Regina._

You're welcome, Emma.

**AN: Thoughts and feels? Please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: There are spoilers for "Grey's Anatomy" in this one… Nothing too spoilery, at least I feel like most people already know them even if they don't watch the show… Also, this one (and the next one) is a little more 'slice-of-life' than I usually write. Literally just a morning-afternoon of their day. Hope you enjoy!**

A couple weeks had come and gone. Emma had already destroyed her box of Count Chocula and her Mott's gummies, and Regina had already replenished her with some Frankenberries and even more Mott's gummies. She had also been cleared for crutches and was told that her clavicle seamed to have healed nicely.

Emma was sleeping. She was having a good dream. A _good_ dream if you know what she means. She was in the Mayor's office. She was sitting in the Mayor's chair looking out the office window. The door opened and dream Regina walked in, but she was a little different this time. She was more real-Regina-esque. It was kind of scary. She rounded the office chair having seen it occupied, and, giving Emma a sexy look with sexy eyes, she started to pull the blinds.

"No." Emma stood, moving forward, placing her hands on Regina's hips, "Leave it open." She huffed in the brunette's ear, "Look down there. What do you see?"

"I see…a parking lot," Regina started and Emma was quick to move her hands to the zipper of the brunette's skirt, "I see trees. Grass."

Emma dropped the skirt, letting it fall to the ground and started unbuttoning the Mayor's shirt, "Mhmm, what else?"

"I see people. People passing by."

"Who?" Emma kissed her neck as she finished with the buttons of the shirt and let her fingers dance over the woman's stomach and sides.

"I see Archie." Regina swallowed hard.

Emma felt the brunette's hand dig into her hair. She smirked as the fingers of her right hand teased the top of the woman's panties and the hand in her hair brought her lips harder against the brunette's neck.

"Mmm, and Kathryn."

Emma's left hand, still caressing Regina's side, made it's way north. She moved the unbuttoned flap of Regina's shirt to the side and started massaging the woman's breast.

"I see…" Regina's eyes lolled to the back of her head, but she kept her stare down at the town. "I see Ruby. She's waiting for someone. Please?" Regina turned to look at Emma.

Emma smirked. She leaned forward and kissed Regina's lips. Then, she gestured back outside the window and slowly slid her right hand past Regina's panty line, "Look down at everyone. Everyone can see you if they chose to look up. They can see you up here. Half naked. My hands all over you, claiming you. They can see you staring down at them, getting off on the possibility that one of them will look up here."

"Emma!" Regina groaned, "Please!"

Emma pulled Regina back into her hips as she simultaneously bent their upper bodies forward, her left hand holding them against the glass of the window.

Emma moaned seductively when she felt Regina's ass graze her hips. "Regina."

"Mmm, Emma, I love it when you make me nervous about people seeing. It makes the game much more fun." There came dream Regina full force, reminding her that this wasn't real, but merely her dream's reality.

Then came her mother's overbearing voice.

"Emma. Emma! Emma! Wake up!"

Emma jolted leaning up on her good side, "Huh? What? Huh?"

Snow stared down at her daughter, "Are you feeling well? You were groaning. I thought you might be in pain…"

Emma laid back down, "I'm fine." She sighed softly as her mother turned to open the sheet that was her main barrier to the living room, "Actually… Can we…? Can we keep it closed for a while?"

Snow turned and looked back to the blonde, and after a staring contest she relented, "Alright. I'm going to the grocery store and remember that your father and Henry went fishing today."

Emma nodded. "I remember."

"Call me if you need anything—I mean anything—I'll come right back home."

"I'll be fine, Snow."

Snow nodded once before gathering her purse. Emma heard her stall around for a bit more before finally leaving.

Emma leaned down and opened her box of Frankenberries. There wasn't much left.

_Hey! You with the goods. I need some more of my stuff._

I beg your pardon? I am not your dealer.

_Kind of, you are. I need more Frankenberries. Or Boo Berries! Can you get me some Boo Berries!_

Do you need them now?

_I'm all alone now. Mommy Margaret went to the grocery store and Daddy David and the kid are fishing. I'm hungry and the kitchen is so far away. I'm surviving off of what's left of… Nope. Now, I am completely out of Frankenberries and I ran out of my gummies last night. I'm surviving off of nothing._

Relax. I'll be there in a flash.

Regina magicked her way into the apartment. With her, she carried a pre-purchased box of Boo Berries.

"Princess." She offered the pink box to Emma sarcastically.

"Wow… You are fast…" Emma took the box from her and opened it before she realized what she'd been called, "Hey! Don't call me princess!"

"I have all of your treats at my place. I assumed, like last time, I would receive some kind of notice when you needed more." Regina said as she ripped the sheets off the ropes, literally tearing Emma's room apart. The action was not unlike the one her mother made earlier, but this time, Emma didn't stop the woman.

The blonde watched Regina take her heels off and move, nay, sway her way to the kitchen. "What are you doing, woman with the magic that's in the kitchen?"

Regina held a slightly clutched fist to her chest before waving her arm, producing everything that could possibly go in an omelet. She rolled her sleeves and washed her hands as she gave the blonde a side glance, "I am going to make you a proper breakfast since your mother can't seem to feed you before going on an outing… Honestly." She muttered the last word under her breath.

"Hey!" Emma swung her legs to the side, grabbed her crutches and heaved herself up. She maneuvered herself to the wheel chair that now stayed on the upper level of the apartment, fell gracelessly into the chair, propped her bag leg into the extended leg of the chair and wheeled herself around to Regina. She avoided the brunette with her leg, but 'accidentally' tapped the side of Regina's leg with the wheel and arm of the chair. When Regina gave her the unfazed-by-her-presence-because-I'm-the-Evil-Queen look, she smiled a cheeky, closed mouth smile, "What are ya makin' me?"

Regina pursed her lips, "I thought the kitchen was too far away…"

"That was before a beautiful brunette woman was cooking for me…" Emma knit her brows, "I said 'beautiful.' If you take offense to that, I'm on drugs. Lots of pain killers."

Regina smirked avoiding eye contact, "A little birdie told me that you like to tough it out in the day time and only take a dose at night to help you sleep."

"Damn!" Emma looked away then shrugged, "So what? You're beautiful. You know that. You're making me food. You know how much I like food. You know what it does to me…"

Regina laughed. She genuinely laughed and it was the most beautiful thing Emma had ever heard.

"I like that." Emma stared up to the brunette who looked back at her with questioning eyes, "Your laugh. I like it."

Regina swallowed as she kept her eyes on the blonde.

Emma spoke softly, "Are you looking at me like I'm looking at you?"

Regina swallowed hard. Emma heard the nervous lump go down the brunette's throat before finally, "How are you looking at me?" came out in a whisper.

"I'm looking at you… I'm looking at you like I did in my coma dream."

"How did you look at me in your coma dream?"

"I looked at you like I've always wanted to look at you here."

Regina shook her head; she turned seeing that she had done an excellent job of melting the butter and moved the skillet off the stove. She finally looked back down at the blonde, "How have you always wanted to look at me here?"

"I think that you know…"

"I think I need you to be explicit."

"I think that the way I want to look at you here is the same way you might want to look at me…"

Regina bent down. She took Emma's face in her hands. This was the boldest she'd ever been in her life; she was scared as shit. "Emma." She swallowed that damn lump again. "How are you looking at me in this moment, right now? No references, no 'likes'. Just the emotion you are looking at me with." She dropped her hands and put them on Emma's armrests.

"I'm seeing you. I'm…" Emma looked down. She didn't want to say it and be wrong. But there was no way she could be wrong at this point. She looked back into those brown eyes. "I'm falling in love with you… That's how I'm looking at you."

Regina nodded and stood up. She turned back to the stove, moved the skillet back, waved the container of whipped up eggs and poured some, before casually saying, "I guess we're looking at each other the same way then. What do you want on your omelet?"

Emma smiled to herself. She looked down, letting her smile grow a little wider as she took in the fact that Regina told her she was falling for her. She glanced up, seeing that Regina was now avoiding eye contact, "Um, I like ham. And cheese. And black olives, onions, hashbrowns?" the blonde asked.

"In an omelet?"

"Yes?"

"No."

"Peppers."

"What kind?"

Emma shrugged, "I don't care."

Regina nodded. She continued cooking and after a few minutes, she had one omelet done and began working on a chicken, spinach and pepper jack omelet for herself.

"I'll have hashbrowns prepared next time." She said softly as she handed Emma plate and fork with her omelet on it.

"Where did this fancy plate come from?"

"My home. I don't know where anything is in this kitchen and the last thing your mother wants of me is to feel as though I have free reign here…"

"So, what you magicked everything here? Skillet? All these little bowls with the stuff in them? The food?"

"…Yes." Regina folded her omelet and moved to the kitchen table with her own plate and fork. "I forgot drinks. What do you want?"

"Fruit punch."

"I don't have that."

Emma gave the woman a look and started to wheel herself from under the table, "We do."

"I'll get it." Regina stood, pushing Emma back in.

Emma smiled up at the woman as she came back with the jug of Minute Maid. She watched Regina magic a cup she'd never seen before and pour her some juice. Then she watched a mug of coffee and a cup of juice appear in front of Regina's place.

"When I get all better, I need to learn these tricks." Emma looked over to Regina as she sat down. She braced herself for rejection as she slowly reached out and touched Regina's hand, "Will you help me?"

Regina smiled as she let her hand be turned over. She watched Emma lace their fingers together. She finally found her voice, "I would love to; if you trust me…"

"Of course I trust you, Regina…"

The brunette nodded. She looked down at her meal as she contemplated her next words, "This isn't an appropriate time to ask—"

"Henry should go back to living with you. If he wants to. It's cramped here. He should be able to have privacy. He should be allowed to play video games and hell, watch porn in the middle of the day without the constant worry of one of his grandparents or his mother coming into the room."

Regina let go of Emma's hand as she studied the woman before her, "Are you projecting your own issues of feeling cramped onto our son in this scenario?"

"…Yes." Emma nodded, "Lack of privacy sucks. I was having a… sexy dream this morning and Mommy Margaret woke me up. She said I was groaning and thought I was in pain. I was _not_ in pain."

"What were you not in pain over?" Regina tried to act casual as she stared at her plate.

Emma sighed, "Exhibitionist office sex. Open window. Anyone could look up and see…" She was in a daze as she started thinking it over again. She shook from her stupor. She did not see Regina's curious yet glazed-eye look until she changed the subject, "Henry should never have that issue… If he moves back in with you, and you hear groaning, don't go in his room. Let him groan."

Regina stared straight ahead to a wall, "Please don't talk about our son and allude to him masturbating ever again."

"Noted. Please don't use the actual word, 'masturbating' and the words, 'our son' ever again in the same sentence."

"Noted." Regina couldn't help the smile that came over her face, "You're really going to let him decide if he wants to come live with me?"

Emma smiled back to Regina, "I'm going to encourage it. He wants to live with you again; I can see it in his face every time you come over. He misses you like crazy even if you do get weekends and holidays—God, how divorced are we?"

Regina took a sip of coffee, "Maybe not for much longer."

Emma smiled wider, "No. Not for much longer." She reached out and curled Regina's hair behind her ear, and when she got questioning eyes, she simply shrugged, "I couldn't see your beautiful face… And also, the drug excuse."

Regina leaned in, "I don't believe the drug excuse."

"Good. It's a lie." Emma leaned in as best she could, closing her eyes.

Regina was closing the distance.

The door opened.

"I'm sorry I took so long! But, you're mobile now, so I figured…" Snow looked to Emma's bed before her eyes frantically trailed around the room. "Regina…?"

Regina bit her bottom lip and looked down at her still full plate, "Well… I should get out of here…" She snapped her fingers and all her cookware and dishes—aside from the ones Emma was using—were gone. And Regina was nowhere to be found as well.

Emma sighed and put her cheek on her fist then presumed to push her omelet around.

"Emma?" Snow stared at her daughter as she started emptying the bags of groceries.

"Yes, Snow?" She sighed louder this time. She stabbed a bite of food and brought it to her mouth.

"You don't need to get short with me." Snow stared at the back of Emma's head. She knew she was going to receive nothing in response, but it was worth a try to make Emma see that she didn't own the world. She swallowed and stared at her groceries, "Why was she here?"

"I asked her to come."

"Why would—?"

"Because I'm falling in love with her." Emma never turned to look at Snow.

Snow never responded with words so much as she frantically put away all the groceries.

Emma wheeled herself to the edge of the two-stair drop into the living room, grabbed her crutches and hobbled to her bed. She picked up her phone.

Snow's eyes never left Emma. She watched her move about as if she'd never used her broken leg. She heard a noise and saw smoke on the table when she turned to it. She turned back to see her daughter's eyes dancing as she stared at the smoke as well. Then she watched her turn back to her phone.

Snow decided to clean the kitchen. She washed all the dishes (clean and dirty, fancy and everyday, glass and plastic), she scrubbed everything down and she cleaned all the appliances such as their fourth toaster since Emma had come to town. Twice.

What should have taken her most of the afternoon took only a couple hours. She found herself stepping into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. "I thought that you had been playing 'Hay Day' or 'Candy Crush or 'Clumsy Ninja' this whole time. I didn't know you'd been talking to Regina…"

Emma looked at the toes of her bad leg, "I play those sometimes."

"But you text Regina more?"

"No. Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" Snow got a little more comfortable and stared at her daughter—okay, she tried to get comfortable to begin with, but couldn't as she was trying to speak with her daughter about her feelings for Regina, the one person in the world that shouldn't be her daughter's true love… and shouldn't be part of her family.

"I stare at my screen a lot debating on sending her texts…" Emma looked away, blushing.

Snow covered her smile well—she couldn't help but have a smile despite the shit-uation. She looked to their television and closed her eyes a moment in debate. She then stood up, "You know… I think I forgot something while I was out."

"What did you forget?"

Snow turned to her daughter after shrugging on her coat, "I'm not entirely sure… I'll probably be out a lot longer this time. I probably won't come home unless you tell me you need something…" She said, telling her that she wasn't coming back until Emma told her to. She gave her an obvious look waiting on Emma to understand what she was really saying. "…Okay?"

Emma looked around a moment with knit brows. She stared at her mother a bit longer, "Okay…"

"Okay." Snow put on a hat, threw her purse over her shoulder and left without another word. She could not believe that she was helping her daughter get to know the one person that shouldn't be her true love… and shouldn't be part of her family. But, apparently she was a sucker for love despite all of this and Snow could see just how in love Emma was already.

A smile grew on Emma's face after the door clicked shut. She grabbed her phone.

_Come back. Mommy Margaret is gone. I'm all alone._

"Honestly. What the hell is she thinking? You are still an invalid. You still need help doing things…" Regina appeared in the middle of the living room, arms crossed. She glared at Emma, really glaring at the fact that Snow left Emma alone. Again. Then she started taking off her gloves and coat.

"Where were you going?" Emma asked as she watched Regina move to the coat rack. She stood on her crutches.

"I was going on a coffee run to the diner." Regina turned back to see that the blonde was on her feet, "Where do you think you're going?"

"The couch." Emma said simply.

Regina watched as the blonde moved and finally collapsed on the center cushion. "Wanna watch TV?"

"Does that sound like something I would ever voluntarily do?" Regina crossed her arms and gave the other woman an expectant raised brow.

"It sounds like one of the few things I can do…"

The brunette pursed her lips before moving to sit down with the blonde, "What are we watching?"

"Grey's Anatomy." Emma turned the TV to Netflix, "I told myself that I would never watch a medical drama… But I did. And now I'm almost done with season 9. And it's horrible."

"If it's horrible then why are—?"

"Because it's everything in life! I mean… everyone is dead. Mark died—which was the worst, but the only thing that could happen since Lexi died in the 8 finale… And… and there's just. Death. And Arizona doesn't have a leg. And there's this bitch Dr. Lauren Boswell that I want so hard to ruin Calzona, but I don't want so hard to ruin Calzona and I'm pretty positive is going to ruin Calzona so hard…It's gonna hurt so bad."

Regina turned to look at her, "Are you okay?"

"Look, it's just really addicting for mere mortals like myself."

"You have magic. You are no mere mortal." Regina said as she looked to the screen.

"Yeah, whatever." Emma selected 'Grey's' and they watched the season nine finale.

**AN: Thoughts and feels? Please read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Like last chapter, this one has spoiler's for "Grey's Anatomy." It's also slice-of-life-y—a continuation right where the other one left off!**

Snow sat on a bar stool in the diner, sipping a cup of hot cocoa.

"Everything all right, Snow?" Ruby—who chose to keep her Storybrooke name—asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Snow looked up to her friend confused.

Ruby gave the other woman a look, "You sure about that?"

Snow stared her friend down. She debated before finally relenting, "I finally got my daughter back. I've finally gotten to take care of her, dote on her. And the entire time, she's been communicating with the woman I call 'enemy'. Worse than that, she's falling in love with her…"

Ruby laughed, "Well, yeah." Then she realized that Snow was surprised, "You… you really didn't see it?"

"I really didn't see what?"

"Well… How… How attracted they are to each other…" Ruby looked into her best friend's eyes, "I mean…" She shook her head and looked off in thought, "It's aspirational attraction. It's the kind of draw, the kind of pull towards one another that you can only read about in books about in this new world… It's intense and ugly, but gods it's beautiful. You really never saw how they looked at each other?"

"They look at each other with disdain."

"They look at each other like they're hiding their deepest darkest secret and they don't want anyone to see what it is."

Snow didn't have a response for that. "…That woman is in my house right now." She looked off in thought.

"And you left them alone? Snow…? What's gotten into you? You would never leave Regina alone with anyone…" Ruby teased.

"I didn't leave _them_ alone. I left Emma alone."

"How do you know that Regina's at your place then?"

Snow gave Ruby a look, "Emma told me she was falling in love with her today. I didn't happen upon the information. She said it out loud to my face…sort of. She kept her back turned. Then she talked about staring at texts debating on sending them… I told her I forgot something at the store, but I wasn't sure what so I would be gone for a while…"

Ruby smiled, "So, Regina's at your place…" She looked at the counter and back up, "I proud of you, friend."

0~0~0~0~0~0

"That fucking bitch!" Regina yelled the minute Arizona and Lauren's lips touched.

Emma's jaw dropped and her eyes danced with delight as she looked over to the brunette, "Regina Maria Mills…"

Regina did a double take as she looked at the woman next to her, "What?"

"Filthy mouth…"

"You are one to talk. You probably would have called her a 'cunt-faced whore'."

"HOW _dare_ you! I…" Emma sunk into the couch, "was, but you beat me to the punch."

Regina fell deeper into the cushions as well, "Why did she do it? Cheat on Callie? You said that one of the other doctors told them that they were her aspirational couple. That they've gotten through some hard break-ups one break that resulted in a child… If they love each other, why did she cheat on her?"

Emma could see a vulnerability in Regina's eyes, a youthful, inexperienced, unfamiliar ignorance that told Emma just how idealized love was even to one of the most powerful villains in the fairytale world. Emma couldn't help but give a sad smile, "Because sometimes in this world love isn't enough. We want it to be, but it's just not enough."

Regina took that in. Wheels in her head were turning fast. She realized in that moment that her love for Emma would never be enough. She wasn't a doctor that didn't deserve to be cheated on, she was a villain falling in love with the hero of the story she was a part of. She would _never_ be enough. Her love was tainted anyways; it would be no good. She sat forward, "I should go."

Emma watched her stand and moved to her coat, "I would never cheat on you." She said, "We might be a hot blonde and a sexy-ass brunette, but I'd never cheat on you. You are what I've been dreaming of my whole life. You challenge me, you argue with me, you annoy me and bitch at me, but you see me. The real me. Not the idealized version of me that everyone else seems to see. And I think I see you. I think that you think you're tainted. You're not tainted. You are my perfect match. This land, this town… it operates different than the outside world. There's still one person for every person here. Some get second chances, some find their first loves. You and me? We're each others second chance."

Regina had turned around and stared at Emma halfway through her speech.

Emma felt her stare and looked from side to side, "Unless, I read you wrong and you really had to go somewhere… if it was the second, then I'm on drugs. Many, many drugs and I don't know what I was saying."

Regina took careful steps back over to Emma and sat down, "I think you know exactly what you were saying." She leaned in and kissed Emma's cheek.

Emma turned and stared at Regina's lips, "I want to kiss your lips." She whispered.

"I'll let you." Regina smiled.

Emma leaned in completely closing the distance. The kiss was fireworks. It was rainbows and puppies and kittens. It was a meadow. It was curling up with cocoa in front of the fire with the first snowfall. It was every dirty, passionate dream either woman had ever had. And yes, it was magic.

0~0~0~0~0~0

"I don't think I can handle this much longer… It's been almost two hours. What could she possibly need two hours with Regina for…?" Snow asked as Ruby stopped in front of her after making rounds to the tables. Ruby gave her a dirty look and a wolfish grin, "Ew. Ruby. That is my daughter."

"Your daughter that has a son. I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing…"

Snow stood up and quickly moved to the door. She didn't let her disgusted eyes leave her best friend until she was out the door.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma had fallen asleep after the next episode. She was sleeping soundly half on top of Regina, head on the woman's chest; she was sandwiched between the brunette's side and the back of the couch with her bad leg flung over the brunette and onto the coffee table. All of this was done to placate the manipulative blonde who just wanted to be more 'comfortable'. Regina knew that the blonde was fine and her leg wasn't causing her pain, but she couldn't help herself but indulge the princess that was allegedly her demise. And that kiss that they had shared was literally life altering.

Regina had turned the television off and magicked a book to her hold. She'd also managed to call her secretary to tell her that she was no longer in the office and to apologize to any walk-ins.

The door flew open, but Regina didn't jump. She couldn't allow herself to disturb the sleeping woman in her arms. She simply glared at the intruder.

Snow was already glaring; she was already in overprotective momma bear mode. Then she took in the sight before her. She looked around and shut the door quietly, "I'll be in my room; I papers to grade. David and Henry will probably be here soon." She knit her brows as she made up an excuse for coming back to _her_ home then proceeding to escape the brunette's presence.

Regina simply watched Snow move about then looked back down to Emma, whose eyes were now open. She was staring at the coffee table and thumbing the seam of Regina's shirt. Her eyes started closing again, and her hug around Regina's body tightened as if Regina was nothing more but a body pillow. Regina knew that she was in fact more than a body pillow. She let fingers run through blonde hair, assuring her that she wasn't poofing anywhere this time.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma and Regina hadn't really moved except that now Regina lay on her side pressed into the couch's back and Emma lay on her back having literally traded positions. Emma's bad leg propped on the coffee table, and she was playing 'Hay Day'. Regina was almost done with her book, but she kept getting distracted from the colorful light Emma's phone gave off and the blonde's fingers swiping and tapping at the screen.

Eventually, Regina set the book down on her leg and let the hand propping her head up fall in the small space between the top of Emma's head and the couch. She laid her head against the arm and started watching Emma play the game. Emma felt Regina's eyes on her and her phone and saw that Regina's book was resting against the woman's thigh. She looked up as best she could but couldn't see her face until she finally turned her head entirely to finally see Regina looking down at her with a smirk.

"Are you watching me play 'Hay Day'?" Emma asked as she stared into those brown eyes.

"It's so distracting with the colors and your tap-tap-tapping…" That was Regina's only reasoning.

Emma smiled a closed mouth smile and resumed her game. "You wanna stay for dinner tonight?"

Regina stared at the blonde hair, "Only if it's all right with your parents."

Emma set her phone in her lap. Her voice changed to an overly dramatic 50's like reenactment kind of happy voice, "Oh, I doubt they'll mind Reggie! Because if you stay, then we can study for the big math test tomorrow! What parent doesn't want their kid to get good grades?"

Regina propped her head back up on her hand stared at the blonde with a bit of a hesitant fear. It took her a moment to put together that the enthusiasm was fake and that this was the blonde's clever way of commenting on the fact that Regina was giving a damn what her parents wanted. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't think of a clever retort so she let herself give an open mouthed smile. She leaned down and pressed her forehead against the blonde's and whispered, "Call me 'Reggie' ever again and I will make sure that you never see a box of kid's cereal again." She leaned up and kissed the already worry-wrinkled forehead before pulling away.

Emma's face quickly masked and cooled her features, "You wouldn't!"

The Evil Queen smile shined prominently, "Wouldn't I?"

Emma looked away from Regina. She grabbed Regina's book from her thigh and set that and her phone on the coffee table before she turned back to Regina and hugged her tight, "You really were evil, huh?"

Regina knew Emma held her tight to make sure that she knew that Emma was joking. She couldn't help but smile at this silent gesture, "The evilest witch there ever was."

Emma's delight shown in her eyes as she leaned up and kissed the underside of Regina's chin. "I'm totally into that…" She kissed a trail to Regina's ear, "Just so you know."

Regina laughed that real live genuine laugh and the door opened spewing in Henry and Charming and a whole lot of supplies.

Snow immediately came out of her and Charming's room on the bottom floor of the apartment and leaned against the breakfast bar patiently waiting for her husband to take in the fact that Regina was there. In the living room. With their daughter. Horizontal. Laughing.

"Did you catch anything?" Emma asked as she and Regina started to sit up.

"Oh, we caught plenty." Charming nodded and looked to his daughter then did a double and triple take to the women on the couch, "Regina…"

"Hi, Mom!" Henry started making his way over, but both his mothers put their hands up halting him.

"Shower first. Get the smell of fish and the outdoors off of you." Emma gave her son a scrunched nose, showing her distaste for the way he smelled.

Regina looked over the equipment in the room and saw a lack of fish, "Where are the fish you caught?"

Charming eyed his grandson, "Henry decided we should put them back and let them swim and reproduce until we actually _need_ to fish to eat to live, and if we wanted to eat fish then we could go to the grocery store or go to Bubba's and eat out."

Emma and Regina both hid amused smiles as they looked up to the boy that had made it up the spiral staircase. He looked back down over the railing, "What? It's true."

"It is." Emma nodded and looked back to Regina no longer able to hide her smile.

Henry shrugged again and moved into his room.

As soon as the door clicked, Charming's eyes landed on Regina, "Regina. What are you doing here?"

"I asked her to come." Emma finally finished sitting up at Regina's prompting. She sat on the edge of the couch now and barricaded Regina from standing up by putting her bad leg in the woman's lap.

"So she came at your beck and call? She doesn't have a town to run or anything…" Charming rolled his eyes as he moved to his wife.

Emma looked to Regina who was clearly biting her tongue. She jut her jaw to the side as she thought about her next move. She swallowed, keeping her eyes on Regina as she spoke, "I was thinking maybe the diner for dinner."

"Sure, Emma, we'll go get whatever you want…" Snow started for her husband's and her bedroom.

"I was thinking that maybe it could just be me, Regina and the kid…" Emma was still staring at the brunette.

"But this will be the first time you've been on a real outing since you came home from the hospital…"

"I know." Emma glanced over to her mother, "That's why we'd just go to the diner…" Regina was looking back at her with wide eyes, "You wanna go to the diner? I don't think they'll say 'yes' anymore about studying for the big math test…"

Regina simply nodded once.

"How about your mom and I go too?" Charming tried to soothe the entirely too tense situation.

Emma looked back to her parents, "Well, I was kind of hoping to talk with Henry alone."

"And the diner and Regina for company is a good place for that?" Charming asked.

Emma tried to contain her annoyed smiled. She looked over to Charming, "I think, ironically, the diner will have less judgmental eavesdroppers" then she looked at Snow "And I think you know why Regina is coming."

"It's fine. Charming." Snow caught her husband's eyes and shook her head, telling him not to get into it just because he could tell she was upset.

"Tomorrow night we'll all go." Emma said, "You guys, the kid, Regina and me." She glanced to Regina, "If you can…"

Regina only smiled at the blonde. They quietly waited for Henry and tried not to eavesdrop as Snow took her husband's hand and brought him into their bedroom.

0~0~0~0~0~0

"So… You two like each other. Like… _Like_ each other, like each other. Like you love each other, like each other. And I can move back in with Mom if I want to?"

Emma thought it over before she finally nodded her head, "That is what we're telling you. Yes."

"Henry?" Regina asked after the boy didn't talk for a good minute or so as he donned that thoughtful look he'd had since he was still in diapers.

"Yeah?"

"Is…everything… Is that all right?"

"Yeah! I was just trying to figure out what stuff I need to bring with me tonight or if we could just magic everything back home…?"

Regina gave her son a smile before excusing herself. Henry knit his brows and Emma smirked as she turned back to her confused son. "You remember the mom in 'The Bind Side?'"

"Oooohhhhh." Henry nodded, understanding that he did good.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. Thoughts and feels? Please Read and Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Charming and Snow did their best to be pleasant around Regina. They tried to plaster smiles on their faces and quite literally grin and bear it, but sometimes it got hard.

Especially during times like the moment they were in when the woman was talking to them about Emma spending the night at her place.

Charming stood up, walking out of the living area, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well… I mean… David, you do know that here in a month maybe less, I'll be out of here anyways…" Emma said.

"You'll be 'out of here'? Emma, what do you mean you'll be 'out of here'?" Snow looked to her daughter.

"Well… I mean, maybe not _every_ night, but I'd assume most nights I'll be at home with Regina and the kid."

"But… this… this is your home." Snow gestured around the apartment.

Emma's eyes fell as she realized what she said. She looked at her mother and took her hand, "I'm sorry, but it's not… This apartment feels like a prison to me. All I've wanted since I got stuck here was to be out of here. And now I can do that. I'm basically healed, and… I don't want to play it this way, but me and Regina were just telling you both as a formality. I'm gonna stay at the mansion tonight…"

Charming butted back into the conversation. "But you can't. Like your mother said. This is your home. You're not allowed."

Emma looked up to Charming, "I'm not allowed? I'm a grown ass woman. I'm the same age as everyone else in this room. You can't _forbid_ me from staying there. And this isn't my home. It's the place I'm stuck; it's the place I've been put."

Regina seemed to read Snow and Charming better than the hot-tempered Emma. She decided it was time to interrupt, "I'm not taking your daughter away from you."

Snow leaned forward and looked at Regina like she was a dumbass, "Um, kind of, yeah. You are."

Regina shook her head, "I'm not. She's still going to be Emma. She's still going to be your daughter. You're still going to see her. She's just not going to be here all the time."

"Oh!" Emma now understood why the parental units were putting up such a fight—she was still getting used to this whole she had parents thing and reading the two of them wasn't always easy for her. "Yeah. I'm not leaving you… I'm just not gonna sleep here at night most nights. That's all."

"I'm not comfortable with this." Charming had his hands on his hips. He stared Regina down, "I don't trust you."

"I wouldn't trust me either." Regina said simply. She stood, "I have more than enough room. Feel free to stay in a guest room if you'd like to be closer to Emma." She moved to Emma's 'bedroom', "I think that settles everything. Darling, what of your toys and things do you want to take with you?"

Emma smirked as she turned from her girlfriend to her parents, "I think that settles everything too." She tried to keep her smile from taking over her face as she heaved herself up and jumped one-footed to her bed. "All of it." She gave Regina a closed-mouth, cheeky smile.

Charming kept his stare on the two women.

"Charming?" Snow patted his shoulder, "Let's go pack."

He grunted, "I'm fine here."

"She's not going to hurt her…"

Charming looked over to his wife, "She's made promises before."

Snow sighed, "I think she's going to keep this one."

"Why?"

The pixie cute brunette gave him a look, "Because she benefits from this promise too. Now, come on. She's letting us stay with them. Let's go pack a bag."

Charming gave one more glare to Regina before following his wife to their room.

Regina's eyes followed their retreating forms.

"I don't know how many times I can apologize for them and it not just sound like an annoying buzz…" Emma watched the brunette watch her parents.

Regina shook her head, "It's not what they said. It's never been what they say. It's… just. It's interesting. That's all."

"Interesting?"

"Between the two, I'd figure Snow to be in Charming's shoes and Charming to be the voice of reason."

Emma looked behind her to her parent's bedroom and back to her girlfriend, "I think they take turns."

Regina turned to the blonde, "I think we've got a very long road ahead of us."

"I think you're right."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma sat in the middle of the bed as she waited for Regina to come out of the bathroom that night. It was the first night they were ever going to spend together and Emma was intent on getting some. At the very least she wanted some heavy petting.

Regina had never allowed Emma to try to go further than kissing; this was mainly because they were always in the apartment and Regina was not going to listen to Snow and Charming cry and moan at the sight of seeing their daughter and the evil queen doing things.

But they weren't at the apartment. They were in Regina's house. Henry was far on the other end of the hall, not next to them on the couch like he was during the few short visits Emma got to take to the mansion over the last couple months. And her parents were way far down the stairs at the other end of the house, and Emma had been having increasingly sexy dreams and she knew that dream Regina couldn't compare to the real deal… If she ever got to compare the real deal to the dream Regina that was—which she was hoping she would be able to do soon.

She was determined to get some major kissing time. Some make-up kissing time. After all, this was supposed to be the hot and heavy stage of their relationship and all Emma got was a measly kiss here and there. She shook her head as she thought about how not okay that was.

She looked around and did her best to look sexy in her giant leg brace, her basketball shorts and her tank top. She fiddled with taking off her pants then her shirt but ultimately left them on, on account of Regina coming out of the bathroom finally.

Regina eyed the woman before her as her hands played with the knot on the belt of her short silk robe. "What were you doing?"

Emma gave Regina a look like she was crazy, "What?"

"I heard huffing and moving around…"

"I…" Emma looked around the room obviously trying to come up with an excuse, "was..doing nothing…"

Regina stared at her, "I don't believe you."

"Well, that's because I'm lying to you. Do you think that I'm really going to tell you that I was trying to get sexy before you came out? I'm not gonna tell you that I almost took my clothes off…" The blonde avoided the brunette's brown eyes and stared at the bed.

Regina knew that Emma willingly admitted what was going on, but the blonde did it in her own way. And that's what made Regina smile that soft smile. Emma always told her the truth. She waited until Emma's eyes met her own, "You wanted to be sexy for me? Why?"

"Why did I want to be sexy? I think you know…"

Regina played dumb, "I have no idea—Wait.." She looked at her girlfriend, "Did you think that sleeping here tonight meant that you were going to—that we were going to…?" She laughed her evil queen laugh, "Oh, darling… Why would we do that when you so obviously can't fully function yet…?"

Emma's face fell. It completely fell. She looked like a small child that watched her dog get hit by a car. "But… I wanted… I thought that's why…" She stared at her basketball shorts and started picking at them.

Regina literally had to bite her lip to keep from smiling and letting the blonde know that she was messing with her. She sat on the bed and scooted next to the blonde, "Well…" She started, "I _suppose_…" She moved to her knees, "since you've been so patient and kind…" She turned to face the blonde, "and we're not in the apartment and you thought that tonight was for… physical stuff…" Regina carefully moved so she was sitting astride Emma's lap, her weight on Emma's good leg.

Regina caught Emma's eyes and smirked, giving herself away, but she continued. She opened her robe to reveal a black satin babydoll that she had debated over for a good while in the bathroom. "I _suppose…_" She smiled at the blonde after watching her eyes travel over her body and back up meet her own with delight, "That tonight could be physical." She stopped one of Emma's hands from traveling up her side and took the blonde's jaw with her other, "But not too physical. I don't want you in this brace for longer than you have to be. No backtracking because we couldn't keep our hands to ourselves."

"Yes, sir." Emma saluted with the hand that wasn't trapped and leaned forward kissing Regina's lips.

0~0~0~0~0~0

The next morning, Regina poofed both her ladylove and herself down to the kitchen, Emma was put in her wheelchair and Regina was already rooting around her refrigerator.

Emma wheeled to the empty space at the table and waited dutifully as Regina magicked the pans, plates, silverware and food to prepare themselves. The brunette then moved to sit next to Emma, but Emma was stealthy for being in a wheelchair. She caught the brunette's waist and pulled her onto her good leg.

"Emma?" Regina asked after finding herself not in her intended chair.

"Yes, Regina?"

"I seem to be in your lap…"

"Hmm. Wonder how that happened… Oh well, might as well enjoy it."

Regina smirked and turned to the blonde in question, "Emma…" she was clearly uncomfortable.

"What?"

"What if your parents come in?"

"What if they do? It's your house and they decided to come stay in it… I say we act as we would if they weren't here… Maybe they'll go away."

"Now, now…"

Emma gave the brunette a forlorn look, as if she'd been scolded, which for all intents and purposes, she knew she had. She narrowed her brows, "Coma-you was much more reluctant to let them come gallivanting around our house."

"Our house?" Regina leaned away from the blonde to the table and took her girlfriend's face in. "I've heard you call this place home and that it's ours, but I seem to be the one with brain trauma as I don't remember you moving in or even saying you want to…"

"Regina…" Emma looked down and around.

Regina pushed off the table again and took Emma's face in her hand, "I'm not coma-me."

"I know."

"I know you know. But you need to be reminded sometimes." Regina sighed, "This is hard for me."

"What is?"

"This. You. Family. Anything revolving around love…"

"It's gonna be too hard putting up with me here?"

Regina smiled and shook her head, "No."

Emma knit her brows, but was pleasantly surprised when she received a kiss.

"I just want to take it slow." Regina whispered, "I want to go on a date before you move in. I want to be courted. I want…rings. Can you give me that?"

Emma smiled, "I can give you that."

**AN: Thoughts and feels? Please Read and Review!**

**PS ~ There are right now there are 10 chapters total and a small epilogue-like-thing after that. We are officially halfway done!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: As always (for this particular story), when the scene breaks are shown: ~0~0~0~0~0~, it's a break from one world to the other. When they are shown: 0~0~0~0~0~0, it is the same world, namely reality.**

Emma knelt down as the doors to the preschool opened. She waited and when two identical cries were followed by two smiling faces and two big hugs, Emma felt a happiness she'd felt only a few times before. "Hello, little girls." She scooped them up and kissed their heads.

"Hi Momma!" They both screamed.

"So," Emma set Rayna and Jane down and took their hands, "How was your day?"

Rayna, the brunette twin that looked like a carbon copy of Regina, and Jane, the blonde twin that was more Emma-like, but still very much Regina in the eyes and mouth, recounted a thunderous tale of all that happened while at preschool. They talked of far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells and a prince and princess in disguise—and that was just story time followed by playtime!

They walked into the mansion to find dream Regina cooking.

"Regina…" Emma looked at the woman suspiciously as she helped the twins out of their backpacks, jackets, and shoes, "What are you doing home?"

Regina eyed the blonde, "What, I can't come home for a long lunch with my little girls and wife?"

Emma smirked, "Of course you can, but you said that you were swamped and wouldn't be able to have lunch…"

Regina looked off to the side, then gave the blonde a look, "I rearranged my schedule. Delegated."

Emma's suspicious look did not fade as she turned to the toddlers, "Okay monkeys, go play in the living room while mommy and I get lunch ready." She patted their butts, which made them giggle and run for the living room.

Emma made her way into the kitchen. She approached the brunette as she stood over the boiling pot of noodles, "Regina…"

"What?" Regina didn't look at Emma.

"We've talked about this…" Emma placed her hands on either side of Regina on the counter.

"I know… I couldn't help myself." Sassgina turned and gave the blonde a pointed look, "You couldn't help yourself." She then gave her best mayoral smile.

"Regina…" Emma's tone was bordering on frustration.

Regina turned fully and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. "Emma." She said in that tone that she had that never got her in trouble.

"What the _hell_?"

Emma and Regina looked at their kitchen table to find…

"Regina?!" Emma pulled from Regina and moved to Regina—the new Regina. "What? How…?"

"Don't 'What? How?' me." Regina's tone was harsh.

"Regina—"

Regina stood from her place at the table, raised a hand—immediately silencing Emma—and walked over to the other Regina, the dream Regina, "So, this is the chippie that you spend your time with in your dreams." She looked herself over then turned back to Emma, "She looks nothing like me."

Emma knit her brows, "She looks exactly like you!"

"Come on, Regina. It's like looking in a mirror." Dream Regina said with an evil smirk on her face.

The real Regina turned from the dream Regina and, with the no-nonsense face, she looked to Emma. She raised one perfectly plucked brow, "Darling?"

Emma gulped. She feared for her life in this moment, "Yes, dear?"

"Get rid of her."

"Yes, dear." Emma looked at the dream Regina who crossed her arms, offended that Emma would just fade her away. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out before she vanished.

Regina glared over to her girlfriend, "Emma we've talked about this."

"I know. I was telling her to leave."

"Why did you come back here?" Regina was borderline mad, but more empathetic in this moment.

"MOMMA! MOMMY!" A young voice screamed, "MAKE HER STOP!"

Emma was faster than Regina as she made her way to the living room, "Rayna!" Emma's voice was only slightly scolding and mainly surprised.

Rayna was hovering over her sister donning a fake fairy wand and wings. She was throwing glitter on her sister, who seemed thoroughly un-amused.

"Mommy!" Jane cried, running over to Regina and hugged her leg, "Make her stop."

Regina looked to Emma for help. She wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She didn't even know who this small person was. Emma knelt down and picked the blonde toddler up before eyeing the still floating brunette twin.

"Rayna. What are you doing?"

"Momma, we were just playing 'Fairy'… I was just trying to make Jane's wishes come true. She just needs some _pixie dust_." Rayna threw the glitter on both her blonde mother and her sister.

"It's just glitter, Rayna! Not fairy dust! I don't want to be glitter-fied! I was just trying to read my book, Momma." Jane hugged her mother's neck tighter.

Emma kissed Jane's cheek, "Okay Butterball. It's okay." She hugged the blonde tight and set her down, "Go shake the glitter off and go back to your book." She looked at her other daughter, "And you Magoo. You want to come help me finish lunch?"

"I guess." Rayna set her glitter and wand on the coffee table, "Can I keep flying?"

"You're gonna get tired…"

"Nuh uh."

Emma smirked, "Okay, baby. Come on." As she turned she eyed Regina. She leaned in, "I come back to spend time with our future kids… Not my dream-you.."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina woke up in her office. "Well that's new…" She reached for her office phone and called her just declared healthy, newly mobile girlfriend.

"Did that really just happen?" Emma asked by way of answering. "Did you jump into my dream?"

"I think I did."

"That was crazy!" Emma's voice was excited.

"It was… something."

There was silence for a moment before Emma's nervous, child-like, hopeful tone filled the speaker, "Reginayouwannagoonadatewithme?"

"What?" Regina smirked into the phone having understood her girlfriend just fine.

"You wanna go on a date with me?"

"Our first date?"

"Yeah… You said that once I was all better, we could go on one and that I needed to court you and kind of stop seeing dream Regina which, I'm trying and now that you can dream jump I guess I won't have to worry about it… Anyways, I got plans planned and… I wanna take you on a date."

Regina smirked, "Then I will let you take me on a date."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma still had a limp, but she was crutch free and all too nervous. She wore a black button up tucked into black straight leg jeans, her black TOMS desert booties and of course, her red leather jacket. She strut-limped up to the door and rang the doorbell.

"Okay, okay, Mom! I won't tell her!" Henry called up the stairs as the door opened.

"Won't tell me what?" Emma eyed the boy.

"I won't tell you that Mom's been frantic and weird all day because of your 'first' date." Henry raised his hands and made air-quotes around the word 'first'.

"What's with the bunny quotes? It is our first date."

"Sure, your first official on the record books that everyone in town knows about date, but I don't think it's your first date… there was that one dinner that Mom made you and all the times Grams and Gramps and me leave you guys alone; those are dates kind of."

Emma smirked, "So, you think she's nervous?"

"She's terrified." Henry whispered.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Comic books." Emma and Henry said as one as if it were a practiced art.

That made Regina suspicious. A brow raised, "Mhmm." She swiped her clutch from the hall tree and moved to stand next to the blonde, still eyeing her as if she'd done something bad. Finally she turned to their son, "What can you do?"

"I can stay inside and play video games and watch TV because my homework's already done?"

"Here's some money." Emma dug in her wallet, "Order a pizza or something."

"I've got something for him pre-made."

"Pre-made?" Emma looked at the other woman, "So since it's him and not me all sick and broken that means it's something healthy and disgusting." She turned back to Henry shoving money back in his face, "Order a pizza." She opened the front door and began escorting Regina to her bug.

"You don't get to boss him around like that." Regina almost snarled as she walked passed the blonde.

"Sure, I can. I'm his mom too. Remember?"

"Hardly. You don't parent him or teach him or mold him. You're his friend that buys him cocoa and pizza. Then I come in, the evil queen all over again because I want him to eat a decent meal and brush his teeth."

Emma ripped the passenger door open, "Hey! I have impeccable oral hygiene!"

Regina turned with a fire in her eyes, but realized there was no argument because Emma did indeed take care of her teeth. Instead she leaned in and kissed the blonde. "You do." Her voice was slightly sultry as she pulled away only for Emma to pull her back into another kiss.

When they pulled away this time, they had smiles on their faces, "Hi, Beautiful." Emma's smile grew to a grin.

Regina, out of breath, placed her forehead against the blonde's, "Hello, Darling." She breathed the word out.

"You ready for our date?"

"Mhmm."

Emma gestured for Regina to get in the car and they were off.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma had taken Regina to a fancy dinner, where she tried to impress her, but really made an ass of herself as she couldn't pronounce the French words and the brunette had to step in. She made up for it as she took the brunette on a walk in the woods. This walk had alternative plans, and Regina could tell by the way Emma was acting that there was a surprise.

It was dark and Regina could see that there was something lit up, up ahead. She was anxious to see what it was so she moved ahead of the blonde, dropping her hand and running up the few feet to the clearing.

Emma had strung twinkly lights all around the well and a makeshift dance floor. Regina walked to the middle and looked at the blonde in question.

"This was the place I finally admitted to myself that I was in love with you. I've been in love with you since I first saw you, I think, but this is the place that I knew I first saw acceptance for me through your eyes, possibly even that you might just care about me as you did save me and my mom…"

Regina smiled and turned away, "I remember that day. You hugged Henry and thanked me. Then invited me to dinner."

"I did." Emma nodded.

"I did care for you then." Regina was blatantly looking anywhere but over to the blonde. "I'd started feeling hope ever since you came here." She finally turned and looked at her, "And that's partly why I wanted you gone. You really are the savior, Emma Swan. You saved the town from my curse, saved me from myself."

Emma closed the distance and hugged Regina close. She finally took a chance and kissed her cheek then her lips and Regina accepted happy for a distraction. "You might not know this, but I am an excellent dancer." She changed the subject as she pulled from the other woman and knelt next to a battery-powered ihome and placed her phone on the dock.

"Really?"

"I may not know the boring, fancy dances you had to learn back in the Enchanted Forest, but I know enough to get lucky." The blonde waggled her brows as the first chords of "Where Do I Begin?" by Shirley Bassey and awayTEAM filled the night air.

She offered Regina her hand confidently and after the brunette tentatively gave it to her, she yanked the woman into a hold. This kicked the brunette into gear. They matched each other step for step in a dance only they knew. It had the intensity of a tango and the passion of a rumba.

They didn't realize how cold it had become until the song ended. Regina was freezing, and her knight in red leather was there to save her. Emma promptly wrapped her coat around the brunette's back and they swiftly made their way back from the woods to the town. They walked into the diner only to have every eye in the place land on them.

Emma slightly coughed as the official gossip about the Sheriff and the Mayor started up, then made her way to the bar to order only to find a thousand watt, shit-eating smirk given off by one Ruby Lucas.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey." Ruby smiled wide.

"Hey, Rubes."

"How are things?"

"Good, Rubes."

Ruby pursed her lips, "Is that all I'm gonna get?"

"Well, I'd like to give you my order…"

Ruby gave the blonde a delighted glare, "Fine. We'll talk later. I get it. What do you want?"

"Some cocoa and some of that goopy apple cobbler—the hotter the better."

"My theory in life; and might I say, Sheriff, you and the Mayor are oh-so-hot."

Emma couldn't help the chuckle, "Thanks Rubes.." she walked to the table that Regina sat down at. She sat next to the brunette to cuddle—to find warmth of course.

Only a minute or two went by before Ruby had their order and was making her way over to them, trying to hide her smile by way of smirking yet failing miserably all the way over.

"Madam Mayor." Ruby gave her a cool, genuine smile spanning from ear to ear.

"Miss Lucas." Regina nodded by way of greeting. "How are things?"

"Fine. And yourself?" The grin could not be controlled.

"Great." Regina looked to Emma, whose chest puffed in confidence at the word.

"Yeah, I'll bet it's great." Ruby braved looking the Mayor in the eye before quickly placing everything on the table and skipping off.

Regina looked down then glared to her girlfriend, "I loathe cocoa."

"Well, I loathe apple cobbler. I do love cocoa. And you love apple anything…" Emma tilted her head in mock frustration, "Just try the cocoa with the apple cobbler. Maybe something I love and something you love makes a _great_ combination."

Regina opened her mouth to retaliate, but for the second time that night had no argument. She nodded and stabbed into their cobbler. She let the bite cool off and glanced over to Emma as she nursed the cocoa. She leaned in and kissed the blonde's cheek before whispering, "I lied just then. I've always loved cocoa. I just couldn't bring myself to admit that I liked something your mother did… until Henry, and until you."

A wry grin broke out on Emma's face. She wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulders and turned to her, "I lied just then too. I've always had a penchant for apples. Any kind, any form."

Regina smiled and leaned in, resting her head on Emma's shoulder. Emma kissed her hair and kept her face in the brunette locks, taking in Regina's natural scent, feeling comfortable and relaxed for the first time in Storybrooke ever… minus the many times she was high off pain meds.

Regina stabbed the cobbler and took a bite, 'mmm'ing at the taste before stabbing another bite and lifting the fork to Emma's mouth. Emma happily moved for the dessert, but Regina pulled it away and put it in her mouth again.

"Hey!"

Regina smiled, "I'm sorry. Here. I won't do it again."

Again, the bite Emma tried for turned suddenly for Regina's mouth, who proceed to laugh.

"Okay, for real this time. I promise." Regina got Emma another bite. Emma didn't bite. "Come on now… I won't steal it."

"You promise?" Emma asked. Regina only returned a devilish smile. They had a staring contest before Emma tried to be quicker than the brunette to no avail. Again, Regina stole the cobbler. "Woman!" Emma finally leaned in and kissed her. She pulled back with a shit-eating smirk that rivaled Ruby's, "Mmm, that is good."

Regina sat there, open-mouthed with no more apple cobbler in her mouth for a good 15 seconds before her jaw snapped shut and she took a sip of cocoa, "Well. You taught me." She clenched up though as she looked around the room. Emma could tell that she was exhilarated from the P.D.A. and utterly freaked out from it as well.

"There is no obstacle I can't overcome when it comes to food. You know that." She leaned in and whispered in the brunette's ear, "That was too much, wasn't it? I ruined the date."

Regina turned to her, "No! You've ruined nothing. I just prefer a little more…elusiveness when it comes to my private life and the public eye."

Emma nodded, "Can I still wrap my arm around you like I am and hold your hand?"

Regina smiled and leaned into the blonde, "Of course." She picked up Emma's cocoa and handed it to the woman's free hand, "Enjoy your cocoa."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma and Regina walked inside the mansion. They saw the glowing flicker of the TV, then saw their son well on his way to passing out.

"Moms." He greeted tiredly, "How was your date?"

"Kid, you don't look so good."

"I think I had too much pizza. If I don't move; I'm okay."

Regina peered into the box to see the extra-large pizza half gone. Emma's jaw dropped, "Damn, dude. I've taught you well."

Regina's motherly frustration was apparent with her quick words, "Obviously not."

"Yeah…" Emma sighed, looking at the kid, "I've taught you ill, hahahooo…" She tried to laugh it off, but the brown eyes she found made her think Regina was going to kill her dead.

Regina walked over to their son and took his face in her hands. She kissed her forehead and let magic spill from her lips and hands, "There. You should feel better soon." She turned to Emma, "And you! Clean up his mess."

Emma watched the woman power strut out of the room, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going upstairs." Regina raised a brow, challenging Emma to say something.

Emma said nothing.

Henry got up, gave his blonde mother a grin, telling her that he knew how whipped she was and silently went upstairs. By the time Emma cleaned, locked up in hopes of getting to stay the night and made it upstairs, Regina was tucking their teenager in like he was a small child again. She crossed her arms and watched on and when Regina turned to leave, she held the door open for the brunette before closing it silently.

They stared at each other, Regina sizing Emma up to see just how confident the blonde was on if she was getting in her pants. Finally, after seeing hesitation, Regina moved into Emma and leaned against the blonde. She was secretly happy that she could keep the blonde on her toes.

Emma's hands automatically wrapped around her middle and Regina smiled as she burrowed into the spot that joined the blonde's neck and shoulder. She placed a small kiss there before pushing from Emma and moving to her bedroom door.

Emma stayed in her spot and watched longingly.

Regina smirked as she turned to the blonde, "Well, are you coming or not?"

"Not yet!" Emma smiled wide, galloped over and picked the brunette up by the waist, causing her to laugh as she kicked the door shut.

"Darling! Put me down! You're still delicate and fragile! I don't want to break you again."

"You're not going to break me." Emma smiled and kissed her cheek as she set the other woman down.

Regina, for the third time that night, made to retort, but did not. Instead she pulled the blonde in for a kiss. "How long have you gone in a relationship before…?" She whispered as she pulled Emma's jacket from her arms and pushed the blonde on the bed, before pulling up her skirt a bit and crawling on her lap.

Emma swallowed, "Uhmmm.. What constitutes a relationship?"

Regina took Emma's face, "Emma." She was unimpressed and wanted a serious answer.

"What? I've never been in love before… not even with Neal. Before I came here, I prided myself on not getting involved and only needing sex for a release… I… waiting for it… I never had that option."

Regina rolled off her girlfriend and sat next to her, "I don't… I…" She swallowed, "I've never actually…"

"Don't tell me you're a virgin."

"I'm not a _virgin_! How dare you."

"How dare me? I'm just trying to figure out what you're trying to tell me!"

"I used Graham. And before him… Snow's father was… he wasn't kind the five times he crept into my quarters…" She shook her head, "And Daniel… We never…"

"I'm the first time it's going to be…not mechanical…"

"Yes." Regina breathed.

"And you're scared."

"Yes."

"And you're not ready."

"I'm really don't think I am."

Emma smiled and took Regina's face, "Whenever you're ready. I'll still be here; I'll still love you. Not giving me sex is not going to drive me away. I mean don't get me wrong, I li—I love sex… But I'm not going anywhere for not getting any."

Regina looked around as silence fell over them. She eyed Emma a moment before talking, "When you were broken, it didn't matter if I was ready or not… That's why I wore the babydoll…"

Emma gave her a look, "How did you know I was…?"

"You might be true to your word and you might wait, but I know that all you've been thinking about is getting me back in this bed."

"Well, like I said, I love sex… But I like you more. So, I'll take what I can get."

"I still have that babydoll…" Emma's ears perked with this admission, which made Regina smile, "I could put it on… We could do stuff. Like we did before."

"I very much enjoyed the stuff we did before…"

"Me too."

They looked at each other cautiously, bashfully all of 10 seconds before their lips crashed against each other and they fell backwards on the bed.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. Please read and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Friendly reminder: when the scene breaks are shown: ~0~0~0~0~0~, it's a break from one world to the other. When they are shown: 0~0~0~0~0~0, it is the same world, namely reality.**

Emma sat in the diner patiently waiting on her girlfriend.

"My gods, she's got you wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?—And I mean that explicitly sexual. You are pussy-whipped. Is the sex that good?!" Ruby asked as she slid a couple to-go cups of hot cocoa over to her friend and leaned in so she'd be in perfect range to hear all the gory details.

"What? Yes. No. What?" Emma took the mugs and looked around quickly making sure no one heard the waitress.

"Oh come on, Emma… Aren't you the girl that never did relationships? You only had sex and nothing else? Don't tell me your shy and meager now…"

"I'm not… I've been ready to uh, fill all my _duties_ as sheriff since Graham died…"

"Wait…" Ruby leaned in a little more with a surprised, intrigued grin, "You haven't _filled your duties as sheriff_ yet?" Emma shook her head no, "Why?! Wait, you guys have been together for like three months, this must be killing you…"

"We've been dancing on the cusp of together and together-together for like five months, it's just been official for almost four now. Since I got cleared as healthy by Whale."

"Hmm… Five months and no sex for a person that only ever engaged in sex as the whole of a relationship. No wonder you're so hot-to-trot… You think maybe that's why you haven't fulfilled your duties as sheriff? She's scared that'll be that?" Ruby stood straight, "Here comes your girl."

Emma grabbed the to-go cups and moved to the exit. She met her girlfriend outside, "Hello, Darling." Regina smiled as she took one of the cups and they walked down to the sidewalk.

"How was your session with Archie?"

"Good."

This was the normal interaction after Regina's sessions as they would walk back to the mansion for a Regina-made-Emma-tried-to-help-but-inevitably-screwed-up-lunch.

"Anything interesting come up?" Emma asked as they continued their trek.

"I'm angry with my mother. That's gonna be a problem that takes a while to resolve…"

"Anything about me?"

Regina knit her brows, "Should something have come up about you?"

"Why haven't we had sex?" Emma asked a little louder than intended as they passed by the elementary school.

A few kids stopped the baseball game they were playing and looked at the two women like they each had 12 eyeballs all over their faces.

Regina had the decency to blush as she moved along. She gave the blonde a look and kept quiet until they got to the mansion. She set her cup down and walked around the island counter before turning to see that Emma had propped herself up on the far counter.

"Was that really something you needed to ask me in public?"

"Maybe not in public, but it's something that needs to be asked…" The blonde kicked the lower cabinet doors couple times like a bored child.

"Why? Why does it matter that we haven't…? You said to take my time."

Emma stopped kicking and looked off to the side before finally looking back at her, "It may have come to my attention that I am pussy-whipped, yet I get no pussy."

"You know how I feel about that word."

"Only you can turn deflection into an art form."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to know why we're not having sex."

"Sex should be an experience between two loving devoted people that want to take their relationship to the next level."

"Yes." Emma said simply. Because it was simple for her.

"I like the level we're at right now. I'm not ready for the next level."

"How do you know?"

"Because the last time I was ready for the next level, my partner was murdered in front of my face and my life was taken from me as my mother molded me to be the perfect daughter and conniving human! And I turned evil." Regina's voice was hard and thunderous, but it cracked in the middle and Emma saw the workings of tears.

Emma hopped off the counter and walked over to her practically running her over as she hugged her. She kissed Regina's hair and cheek before taking the brunette's face in her hands and kissed her lips sweetly, passionately, "That's not gonna happen."

"You almost died six months ago. That night that you got hit… I was going to ask you to stay for dinner and hoping in the back of my mind that something might happen between us… I got a call and you were in the hospital. And had you been in a coma even a day or two longer, Whale wasn't sure if you were going to come back."

"Well… That's just coincidence."

"How do you know it's not my mother laughing at me from the grave?"

Emma sighed, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't her dying words, 'You would have been enough'? I hardly think she's laughing from her grave…"

Regina's lip formed into a thin line, "I don't want to have sex yet."

"Is it because you think I'll leave you? 'Cause all I ever did was have sex and leave? I'm not gonna leave you…"

Regina rolled her eyes and looked off to the side, "Honestly…" She crossed her arms, yet again rolling her eyes.

"What?"

"You really think I'm scared you'll leave me? You dreamed about me in your coma. You've dreamed about us every night since. I'm not scared that you're going to leave me."

"But you're scared of something?"

Regina looked off to the side, "I… suppose."

Emma knit her brows and looked at her, "What are you scared of?"

Regina pushed from the blonde and walked into the living room, "I'm done with this conversation. I'm no longer in the mood for cocoa, and I'm certainly not hungry anymore."

Emma followed her and put her hands on her hips, "Woman! Just because you walk away doesn't mean we're done talking!"

Regina simply gave her a raised brow before lying down on the couch and closing her eyes.

Emma traced her teeth with her tongue, keeping her lips sealed tight and went back into the kitchen. She made a sandwich from the things in the fridge before sitting down to eat. She walked back in to find Regina in a fitful sleep.

A thought came to her head and she was brimmed with determination. She sat in the leather chair adjacent to the couch and laid back, closing her own eyes.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma woke up in their shared bed; she looked around and saw pictures of the twins that verified she was in fact dreaming, "Okay… How to dream jump?" She asked herself, "Magical powers within me… To Regina's dream!" She posed as if she were getting ready to pull a Superman and fly away. Nothing, "Regina's dream!" She tried again. "Damn it."

She inhaled deeply thinking about Regina when she heard the front door close, "Regina?" she went to the edge of the stairs to see who was in the house when it gave way.

"Fuck!" She screamed as she landed on the greenest grass she'd ever seen. She was definitely outside; it was a calm, sunny afternoon. She pushed herself up and looked around some more. She saw the mausoleum and other graves, but she noticed that the mausoleum looked bigger.

She walked up the steps and saw Regina inside wearing large, dark sunglasses, all black and a twin baby carrier on her chest with the twins inside, each clinging to their mommy as she wept.

Emma was about to interrupt when she saw Regina collect herself, "This is why love is so hard for me. I'm the one he gets left for death." She stared at the coffin to the right of the mausoleum. "You wanted a relationship. You wanted a partnership. You wanted sex and a family. And now you're gone. Because that's what happens. And here I am, raising our girls that I know you so desperately wanted to love and raise. I was perfectly content not telling you how I felt! I was perfectly content loving you from afar! I knew nothing would happen! But you just had to tear down my walls and you had to prove that I could be loved! Look where it got us!"

Emma stepped in fully to the mausoleum now and interrupted even though she knew she shouldn't, "I think it's got you worrying desperately over something that isn't going to happen." She said as she came around and lifted one of the babies out of the carrier, "Hello, precious." She kissed the baby's cheek and looked at the woman before her.

"How…? You… you're…?"

"Alive? Yeah… Regina, this is what you dream about when I'm not entertaining you? No wonder people still think you have a stick up your ass. I'm not dead. I'm not dying. I've been declared healthy by a doctor. I even got a fancy note that you had me frame!... I'm going to play in that charity basketball game next month to raise money for the library and the schools… And most importantly; I wouldn't die if I knew you were still here."

"You almost died once."

"Yeah, and who brought me out of my coma?" Emma asked, narrowly avoiding eating a couple baby fingers that decided to play with momma's face.

Regina shifted from foot to foot and took the other baby from the carrier, magicking the carrier away and opting for a magical change of clothes as well, changing into a flannel shirt, dark skinny jeans and knee-highs.

Emma looked her over approvingly. "You wear this in your dreams that I'm not dead?"

Regina nodded, saying nothing.

"You should wear it in real life. The fashionable, hipster-reminiscent, mom look suits you." Emma nodded, "It suits you hard."

Regina rolled her eyes and simply turned, walking out of the mausoleum. Emma followed her only to walk into a nursery.

"How in the hell?"

"It's a dream. Remember how you dream-jumped into a private moment of mine?" Regina set the baby she was holding down and gave her a toy before walking to the door, waiting for Emma.

The blonde took her cue and followed suit as she said, "A private moment when you were talking to me? Yeah I remember that."

They stepped just outside the nursery and cracked a door to keep their eyes on the twins.

"Regina, will you just accept that we were meant to be and fate has decided things and we will be together forever and just let me make love to you so we can be one step closer to marriage and one step closer to the twins?!"

Regina's jaw jut to the side, "Emma, will you just remember that you promised to be patient and I have many, many issues that need resolving and I am… fucking trying as hard as I can to be good enough!"

This made Emma pause. She watched Regina lean into the nursery and smile at the babies before turning back to her. Emma could only stare at the brunette, "That's what you're afraid of? That you're not good enough? You-you're perfect for me. You're better than good. If anyone isn't good enough it's me… I'm really not a savior. I'm just an orphan that got sent to this realm through a tree. I wasn't raised proper. I'm emotionally stunted. I act before I think. I've been to jail more than once…" She looked into brown eyes to remind her that that was actually Regina's doing, "I… I'm just a girl in love with an evil queen that doesn't realize how not-evil she really is…"

Regina moved so they were inches apart, "And I'm just an evil queen that's in love with the savior of our tale that merely thinks of herself as an orphan."

"I don't want to go all Tom Cruise on you, but you complete me, Regina. You are everything I never thought I could ever have."

~0~0~0~0~0~

They woke up at the same time. Emma lunged forward in the chair, the footrest pushed down, and Regina sat up straight on the couch. They looked to each other and in a split second, they were wrapped up in each other, kissing fiercely.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma was at the diner waiting for Regina when Ruby came up to her and handed her two cocoas to-go, "I haven't seen you in a couple weeks… What happened to you? You uh… fulfill your duties as sheriff yet?"

Emma merely gave a smug grin as she looked into her cup of cocoa.

Ruby's delight came in the form of a laugh. She pushed from the counter, "Your girl's here."

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. Thoughts and feels? Please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Wait… Regina's pre-she's pre-she's pregnant?" Charming stared confused at the two women that had pulled chairs from the kitchen to sit opposite Snow and himself on the living couch to share 'some news'. "How can that happen?"

"Well… David, you see…" Emma rubbed the back of her neck as she sat forward a little more, then put her elbows on her knees, and rubbed her hands together preparing for the awkward conversation, "In a magical world, when two people really like each other—love each other, if you will, there comes a point where they want to express that love and—"

"But you guys aren't having sex…" Charming interrupted, his mind still short-circuiting, "Snow told me."

"Snow told you?" Regina asked as she and Emma both looked to the pixie-haired woman with raised, surprised, slightly disgusted brows, "And just what do you know of your daughter's sex life."

"More than I should thanks to your curse." Snow shot back.

Emma narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, "Yeah… But that still doesn't make sense with what David just said…"

Snow sighed, her whole body falling limp for a moment, "A few kids at the elementary school came running in from recess and asked me what sex is and why my daughter would be upset that she and the mayor don't have any…."

Emma giggled softly for only a split second before she felt Regina's eyes on her. "Sorry. It's just funny because that's the same day we had sex for the first time."

Charming covered his ears like a child, "UUUUUUGHLALALALA! Do Snow and I give you the gory details?" he put his hands back in his lap.

"Not, but your grandson and myself did walk in on post-coital cuddling once." She turned and laid her head on Regina's shoulder, "It was disturbing."

Regina turned and whispered into the blonde's hair, "I could only imagine."

Emma smirked as she sat back up, "Well. That was our news. Regina's pregnant with our magical dream twins. So…." She patted a beat on her knees, "You're gonna be grandparents again. Yay!"

"Did you just say 'magical dream twins'?" Snow asked.

"Yuh huh." Emma said.

"I've tried to convince her that in all likelihood, there will just be one baby, but she's convinced otherwise." Regina said.

"What are 'magical dream twins'?" Charming now pressed for information.

"They're the twins that I dreamed about while in my coma and the twins that we now dream about together basically all the time…."

"Well, that sounds psychologically unhealthy…." Snow trailed off, but when she felt eyes on her she continued, "I just mean, that if you don't have twins now, this baby is going to live in the shadow of these… dream twins that never were…"

"This child will be loved unconditionally no matter what." Regina spoke in a low threatening tone and stood, "Darling, I think I need to leave. I suddenly have a headache." Emma stood, but Regina stopped her, "No, you stay here. I'm just going to nap."

Emma sat back down and watched Regina poof away, "I love naps." She slumped as she turned back to her mother, "Why you always gotta bring her down?"

"Emma, I said that more for you to hear than her… She seems like she understands that it might not be twins… You… don't."

Emma's hard, thoughtful stare vanished before their eyes, as did the rest of her body in a puff of smoke. Snow and Charming looked around the room confused.

A moment later, Snow received a text.

_Woah! I've never poofed before! Guess I don't know my own magic. I'm home now and a nap sounds good. We'll talk more about the twins soon._

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma was still surprised that she was in the living room of the mansion after sending her text. She looked around for pictures of the twins, making sure she wasn't dreaming, before walking upstairs.

When she walked into the bedroom, there was no Regina on the bed. She knit her brows confused.

"Regina?" Emma didn't want to say she was panicked, but she would admit to being a little frantic.

"Emma?" The relaxed tone of one Regina Mills came from their bathroom.

Emma practically crossed the room in three strides and opened the door to be greeted by the mayor covered in bubbles, scented candles of vanilla, apple and cinnamon filling the room and confused honey brown eyes.

"Emma, how did you get here so fast?"

The sheriff could only smile, "I poofed."

Regina raised her brows, "Really?"

Emma nodded a yes, "They were trying to tell me that our dreams weren't gonna come true and the next thing I knew, I was downstairs."

Regina turned away and reached for a champagne flute.

"Woah! Hey! No… What are you doing? You can't drink that…"

"I can't drink apple juice?"

"Oh… Yeah, I guess you can drink that." Emma took the woman in as she took her boots and socks off. She walked into the main bedroom and opted for a tank top and skinny jeans over the button up and slacks she had on. Then, as she walked back into the bathroom and sat down on the bathmat, placing a hand in the water, she studied the other woman. Finally, after staring at Regina's face, eyes closed, hiding from her for a full five minutes, she spoke again, "You don't think our dreams will come true either."

Regina's eyes opened and she stared at the bubbles in thought, "I don't think that the future is set in stone. I don't think that you all of the sudden have the ability to dream the future… I think that we both want more children and we've decided that there is no other person we could love out there and that we're happy we found each other and have a son already. I think that we know that this is our only shot at happiness and that's why I'm already pregnant. But, darling, I don't think that you should say that I'm pregnant with twins—with _the_ twins unless we see it and know it. And that won't be until much later in the pregnancy…"

The blonde looked down as she took the information in. She finally looked back up to the brunette, "Okay." She stood and wiped her wet arm with a towel, "But when we do find out that the twins are _the_ twins, don't be surprised."

"You think that you can dream the future?" Regina stopped the blonde from leaving.

"No." Emma shook her head, "I just think that our fairytale asses have been through enough crap that it's our turn and about damn time that our dreams come true." She turned to look at her lover, "And I know I'm not the only one that dreams of the twins."

0~0~0~0~0~0

Dr. Whale held the ultrasound wand over Regina's belly and studied the image. He leaned in further and sat back, then moved the wand to the other side and back again.

"Well, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that you, Madam Mayor and Sheriff Swan will be having twins."

Regina whipped her head to Emma who was merely smirking her 'I told you so'.

Emma's smirk turned to a smile before she leaned down and kissed the mayor, hugging her close before turning to Whale, "That's excellent news, Doc."

Dr. Whale took them both in, "Neither of you seem all that surprised…"

Emma, after a few thorough conversations, was not allowed to talk about the dream twins in public. Regina didn't want people to think that Emma was crazy or weird for believing that they were going to have the twin girls that she dreamt up in her coma and that she, Regina, incidentally dreamed about them after dream jumping and meeting them.

Instead of explaining all of this, Emma smiled over to him and said, "Just an inkling. I come from a long line of twins. And they're said to skip generations…"

"Hmm…" Whale cleaned Regina's stomach after hitting the print button on the ultrasound. "Well, one for Momma Mayor." He gave a printout to Regina, "And one for Momma Sheriff." He gave another to Emma.

"These two peanut lookin' things? Those are them?" Emma asked as she looked up to the doctor.

Whale nodded, "Those two peanut lookin' things."

The sheriff smiled and let her index finger trace over both of the peanut lookin' things.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma and Regina were lying on the couch, Emma's head hovering over Regina's bare stomach, placing kisses every place she could get at. Soon she laid her head down and started mumbling how much she loved her little peanuts.

"Darling…"

"Well, Rayna and Jane are my little peanuts!" Emma looked up at the brunette with a smile, "You know what this means?"

"What?"

"You gotta let me move in officially. I gotta be here to take care of my family." Emma got a big grin on her face before she burrowed into her spot between Regina and the couch further and kissed the brunette's stomach again.

Regina's finger's tangled in Emma's blonde tresses as she mocked her realization, "Hmm, I guess you're right. You will need to move in. We probably should have told your parent's that three months ago."

"Yeah… But three months ago, we weren't in the all-clear of most miscarriages, we hadn't seen the Doc, and we'd only just had you pee on a stick that morning because you were still feeling gross and we were curious. Now, we've seen the doc more than once, we're already in the second trimester… Lots of things are happening… We know the girls are in fact the girls. And… You're poochin' out your pants. We'll need to go get you maternity clothes before you pop your seams."

Regina gave her a displeased look before her very dry response came, "Darling, I love it when you make me feel sexy."

This only made Emma grin wide, "Honey. You're pregnant." Her grin didn't fade, "With the twins. I'm just saying what needs to be said. Lord knows it'll be my fault if your designer anything rips.."

"Well, you did do this to me."

Emma merely laughed and leaned up for a kiss, "We should have a dinner to tell them just how pregnant you really are and magically move my crap over here."

"I suppose we should."

Emma laid back down and kissed the woman's stomach again.

"Mom?" Henry came into living room from the kitchen. "We're out of—Oh hey other mother of mine that got my mom knocked up without marrying her first and isn't even officially moved in…"

Emma turned to look at their son, "Hey! That's not my fault! Your mom wanted to be courted."

"And instead you got her pregnant."

"I!... That was a happy accident of fate." Emma stood and walked over to the kid, "I'm moving in just as soon as we have dinner with your grandparents and tell them just how pregnant Regina is."

"You mean before you gloat about how your coma dream is coming true? Can I be at this dinner?"

"Jesus… When did you grow up and get so sarcastic?"

Henry pursed his lips, "I think it was when you and mom told me you were having a baby and I was gonna be a big brother. And also, as you may remember, I just had my birthday last week."

It was Emma's turn for sarcasm, "Oh! Is that why we had cake?"

Regina smiled at the two of them and knew she needed to break it up before they really got started, "Henry, honey what do you need?" Regina stood up, pulling her shirt back over her stomach as she moved passed the two of them to the kitchen.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Snow wanted to host the family dinner. She was all too excited when she heard the door ring. "Hello, hello." She opened the door and hugged her grandson and daughter before giving her only-trying-to-be-pleasant smile to her daughter's… girlfriend. "Regina."

"Hello, Snow." Regina gave the woman her as-torturous-as-this-is-for-you-it's-two-times-worse-for-me, closed mouth smile as she walked in. Her feet were already killing her and she just wanted this night to be over with. She felt Emma come behind her to help her with her coat, and she felt the heat of her body as the blonde leaned into her.

Emma kissed her hair and whispered, "I'll give you a massage and we'll take a bath when we get home. Okay?"

Regina smiled and closed her eyes as she stayed in Emma's hold a moment before inhaling, mustering a second wind for the evening. She took her girlfriend's hand after the blonde put her coat up and they walked into the living room, where Henry was regaling the grandparents with hilarity that ensued in one of his classes the week before.

Snow glanced over to the two women then did a double take before her eyes practically burst from their sockets. "Regina… You're so…"

"Pregnant." Regina finished for her. "Yes. I'm well aware."

"How are you that big?" Charming asked before realizing his jack-assery, "I mean! It's just… you're really pregnant. I thought you were only like three months. Should you even be showing yet?"

Regina looked to Emma as they sat in a two-seater where Emma's bed had been all those months before, "You really haven't talked any pregnancy talk with them…" She observed.

Emma had told Regina that the days she spends with her parents for brunch, lunch or dinner, or the occasional, 'Regina wants me to sleep on the couch and I said 'fuck that shit', so now I'm back where my technical home is' sleep over, that she wasn't going to talk about Regina—or the pregnancy part of Regina too much. And she did stick to her word. She wanted Regina to be there too when she told them about everything and since that wasn't going to happen but on rare occasion, she saved it all for this night.

To answer her lover's non-question, the blonde simply shook her head.

"Hmm…" Then it clicked in Regina's mind, "You wanted me here?"

Emma nodded.

Regina only squeezed her hand and turned to Snow and Charming, "We have lots of news."

"So Emma said." Snow looked to her daughter and back to her former nemesis. "What's the news."

Emma inhaled and turned happily to her parents, "We're having twins. Girls. When we found out we were pregnant, Regina was already three weeks in. So… She's further along than we thought. We're at fifteen weeks. Whale told us last week that they are both girls. They gave us a really good visual so he could tell. And that is the first and only time they will show off their goodies, so says Momma."

Regina turned into Emma and smiled, "Oh, I don't know. I predict naked baby pictures that will embarrass them profusely later in life… But no more goody shots after the toddler stage."

Emma looked around, thinking that one over, "Agreed."

"So.. Your… dream-twins are…?" Snow asked.

The two women nodded.

Charming sat forward, "This is remarkable. I mean. I knew you had magic, Emma, but I… I never thought you'd be a seer."

"I'm not a seer. I can't see the future. I can't dream the future. I just knew that me and Regina were meant for each other and we were going to have twins. It's like when Snow knew that I was going to be a girl and I was going to be named Emma…" Emma obviously didn't want to talk about it. She shifted in her and Regina's seat then looked at her parents again, "There's another thing that you guys are gonna need to know officially for the record books…"

"What's that?"

"I'm moving out for real. No more coming back here when Regina gets mad at me. I'll be on our couch. We're gonna take the rest of my stuff, and we're gonna do my address change stuff…"

Snow looked down and around. An alarm went off and the pixie-cut woman sighed a sad sigh before standing, "Well. Dinner's ready. Let's eat."

0~0~0~0~0~0

"Oh my God… That was exhausting." Emma said as she moved onto the cot in their hospital room provided by the staff.

Regina, who had been dozing, opened her eyes and stared at the blonde, "Yes. How did you ever get through it."

"Darlin', when you use that dry tone, I think you're bein' sarcastic." Emma drawled before she grinned over to the woman, trying to rile her.

"Darling, when I use that dry tone, I am always being sarcastic." She sighed before blinking a slow blink.

Emma stood and sat on the side of the bed, "You did amazing." She leaned in and placed a kiss to Regina's forehead, "You pushed two healthy babies out of you today." Another kiss.

"I remember all too well."

Emma pulled back concerned, "You feeling pain?"

"A little."

"You want me to get a nurse to give you some medicine?"

Regina wanted to tough it out, but if the pain started to get worse, she was going to make her girlfriend get up in an hour anyways. So, she nodded, "Please."

The blonde walked out of the room and a couple minutes later, a couple knocks fell on the door, "Knock, knock." Ruby's voice filled the room.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Regina asked.

"I didn't know if you would be hungry or not, but I knew for sure Emma would be hungry, so I brought you guys late-night/early-morning sustenance. There's a chicken tender platter for her or waffles or both depending on her mood. And, I wasn't sure what you'd be allowed to eat, so there's also some chicken noodle soup and crackers… And of course I brought you guys your apple cobbler and cocoas. For drinks besides cocoa, I brought water and apple juice… just 'cause, again, I wasn't sure what you can have."

"Oh…" Regina tried to sit up, "Thank you so much. Emma will be pleased."

"Not so hungry?" Ruby asked with a smile.

Regina shook her head, "I will take you up on that juice though."

Emma walked back in with a nurse before seeing Ruby. "Hey Rubes… What are..you doing here?"

"Miss Lucas, visiting hours ended a long time ago…" The nurse said after administering Regina's medicine.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to bring the new mommies some food."

"Food?" Emma's brows and ears perked and she looked around the room.

Ruby pointed to the giant to-go bag, "By your bed, Sheriff."

Emma hugged the waitress, "Thank you."

Ruby chuckled a bit, "You're welcome. I'll come by tomorrow if that's okay? I wanna see those baby girls." She gushed.

Emma slid her phone open, "We set them down in the same bed and they found each other."

"Oh, they're holding hands!" Ruby gave the appropriate mushy, it's-so-fluffy-I-could-die face. As Emma slid to the next picture, Ruby stared at the now dozing Regina, "She looks exactly like—"

"I know. That's Rayna. And this little girl is still gonna look like Regina but she's got my nose and hair… well, she'll have my hair. This is Jane."

"They are precious."

The nurse, who had been waiting at the door, interrupted, "Miss Lucas? I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, okay." Ruby walked to the door, "Text me if I'm not here when you guys leave… I'll bring you more food in exchange for seeing those babies."

Emma smiled, "No problem there, Rubes." She turned to Regina after Ruby left then dug into the bag, "She brought soup and crackers, waffles, chicken tenders and cobbler." She spoke softly as she pulled the items out of the bag, "And she brought us some cocoa and water.." The blonde looked to her lover's closed eyes, "You want anything."

Regina opened her eyes and gave a slightly disgusted look, "I'm fine. She gave me some apple juice."

"You didn't touch the meal the hospital brought you…"

"I'm just not hungry, darling."

Emma sighed and grabbed the tiny packs of crackers, "Will you eat those for me?"

Regina couldn't help the smile that graced her face as she took in her lover's concerned tone, "I'll eat the crackers."

The two ate in silence but soon the twins were wheeled back in from the nursery. The nurse smiled at the two new mothers as they looked at them in awe, "You wanna try feeding them again?"

0~0~0~0~0~0

Emma backed quietly away from the cribs after laying the sleeping girls down for a nap. Three months in and they had a good routine, though both women her adjusting to lack of sleep.

Emma crawled into their bed and laid down next to Regina, "Well, we have the girls now. If we ever get to dream again, what do you wanna do?" Emma asked softly as she closed her eyes.

"There's still something wrong with this picture… I will dream of it until it happens, that's for sure…"

"What's that?" The blonde yawned out.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina was looking her strapless, sweetheart wedding dress over in a mirror that covered the entire wall. She saw Emma come in, in a tux and lean against the doorway to watch her, as Regina realized the blonde was prone to do.

Emma looked her over and caught her eyes in the mirror. "A wedding." She realized as a grin formed on her lips while she moved into the room.

"Not just a wedding, my love. A marriage." Regina raised her arms and Emma quickly came in for the kiss. Regina kept it light, "You told me you could court me and give me rings… I already have children, I've been courted, but I have no ring."

Emma ducked her head, "I failed."

"Not yet."

The blonde eyed her, "Maybe after I ask, we can wait a while and have two tiny flower girls-slash-ring bearers?"

Regina's face rose with delight, "Maybe we could do just that."

Emma leaned in and kissed her again, "I'm sorry I didn't ask you before. You know that I do and have wanted to marry you…?"

"I know. And the girls came at a rather inconvenient time… Learning I was pregnant three months into our official relationship kind of put the 'normal' way of doing things out the window."

"Who needs normal anyways? We're freaking fairytale characters. We make the fantasies and the normal conventions what they are."

Regina smiled and moved in for another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

**AN: Thoughts and feels? There are still two more chapters. I hope that's all right with everyone!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Same general reminder: when the scene breaks are shown: ~0~0~0~0~0~, it's a break from one world to the other. When they are shown: 0~0~0~0~0~0, it is the same world, namely reality.**

Emma and Regina held each other close, Emma in her tux, Regina in her wedding dress. Emma pulled Regina's hand into her chest and wrapped her other arm around the brunette's waist a little firmer just as the arm around Emma's neck clung tighter as well. They were slow dancing, but there was no music, just them.

Emma kissed Regina's cheek, "What should our song be for our first dance?" She asked as she swayed them back and forth.

"I don't know." Regina looked up at the blonde, "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well, when I was broken and watching TV and movies on Netflix 24/7, I watched this movie… Enchanted."

"A Disney movie? And what lies did it tell you about fairytales this time?"

Emma smiled at her ladylove, "I am well aware that the Disney versions are G and PG for a reason… No, just… at the end, there's this song at the ball they go to. I like it. It's fitting."

The thunderous sound of babies crying filled the dance floor.

They looked at each other, "The babies." They said together.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma and Regina both looked at their clock. Emma then laid back down, digging the heals of her thumbs in her eyes before jumping out of bed, Regina on the other hand moved for her robe and opted to yawn before moving to the door.

"So the day begins." Emma said as she kissed her lover's cheek walking past her to the nursery.

Emma went for Rayna and Regina to Jane. They turned to each other after the babies were happy and picked up.

Then came time for the daily bout of rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock.

Emma threw out scissors as Regina threw out a lizard.

"Haha!" Emma said by way of exclamation.

"How did…?"

"I always choose Spock and you choose lizard because it beats Spock… But as you weren't suspecting, scissors decapitates lizard." Emma kissed Regina's cheek and gave Rayna to her already full arms. "I'll get breakfast started, you get their diapers."

Regina glared at her lover as she sauntered out of the room. She walked over to their changing table, grabbed four diapers, the wipes and the changing pad before sitting on the ground—they thought that a changing table would be good, but after realizing that the girls didn't wiggle as much when they were both getting changed and had a diaper or the wipes to hold and look at, they turned the changing table into the supply station and left it at that.

"Okay baby girls, let's see what we've left for Mommy—Oh my! We have one stinky, stinky diaper!" Regina made animated faces as she wiped and quickly changed Jane. Then she moved to Rayna, "And—Oh my! We have another stinky, stinky diaper!" She again made faces, causing the twins to giggle at their silly Mommy. She got up to throw the dirty diapers away and put the wipes and extra diapers up.

"Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma."

The brunette turned around to find that the twins had rolled onto their tummies, found their plastic blocks, and were playing with and talking to them. At six months, both babies were perfectly average: Fiftieth percentile in all categories. She smiled at them as she knelt down, "Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, ma." She talked along with them as she scooped them both up and walked downstairs.

"There you are." Emma said as she took Rayna from her girlfriend and put her in her high chair. She did the same with Jane as Regina settled into her own chair, picking up the bowl of baby cereal Emma set down for her. Emma picked up her own bowl and the women proceeded to feed the twins.

"That's my good girl!" Emma said after Jane finished first. The blonde was quick to clean and pluck her twin from the high chair, set her on the floor—after more than a few kisses to her chunky baby cheek—next to Regina and start in on her and Regina's breakfast.

It didn't take long for Rayna to finish after she realized that Jane was already getting to play. Regina cleaned Rayna and moved both babies onto a blanket that seemed to always stay in the kitchen, so the twins wouldn't get cold playing on the tile. She gave them each a few toys and sat back down.

Emma eyed her lover as she rubbed her temples before looking over to the babies and smiling at them, "Everything alright, Sweets?"

Regina turned around, "When you call me 'Sweets' it's because you're hiding something or you think you see something in my behavior that's telling you something is wrong."

Emma turned back to the scrambled eggs she was making, "Mhmm.. So.. anything wrong?"

"I'm just exhausted. Same as you. I'm just not handling it as well."

"Maybe we can get my parents to come over again for a couple nights… help out with the girls. Let us sleep?"

"They'd love that." Regina said the words as if Emma's parents would spend their time laughing in her face.

"They would." Emma's tone was scolding, stern, "They would love to see their grandbabies and know that their daughter and daughter's girlfriend are getting enough sleep to take care of said grandbabies…" She dealt out the scrambled eggs then moved to the microwave to check on the bacon.

Regina turned around and watched as Emma fixed their plates, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Emma smiled as she walked over and set their plates of bacon and eggs down, "You want grapefruit or cereal?"

"Grapefruit." Regina grabbed onto Emma's hand before she moved away and gave her a look. She was obviously waiting for a kiss. Emma was all too happy to oblige.

The blonde went to the fridge and grabbed a grapefruit to cut. Though after doing so, she looked over at Regina to check to see if she was watching her. Thankfully the brunette had her eyes on the twins. She pulled out the tiny box that felt like it was burning a hole in her flannel pocket and placed it on the tiny plate Regina liked to use for her grapefruit. She casually walked over, set the plate down in front of the woman with a, "There you go." before she started moving to get her cereal.

Regina picked up her spoon and looked down. It took a moment for her brain to register that not only what she was looking at was no grapefruit, but that it was a tiny velvet ring box. "Wha…?" She couldn't even finish the word as her spoon fell from her fingers and she started to turn around.

"What is it?" Emma asked, seemingly concerned; though the twinkle in her eye told Regina that she knew exactly 'what' was going on. "Whatch'ya got?" The blonde walked back over to the brunette and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Emma…." Regina looked back down at her tiny plate and again over to the blonde.

Emma stared at the box a moment, then as if in realization, "Oh that." She plucked the box from in front of the brunette and started to open it, "I just figured since we already have three kids together, we sleep in the same bed and I promised you there would be rings, that I should give you one… That is if you still want to marry me… put up with me for the rest of our lives—Not that you won't have to if you say 'no,' but 'yes' would make both our lives better…" She showed the brunette the ring. The perfect ring. It was a clear, round center diamond with a woven, white gold band iced with smaller round diamonds. It ran Emma a pretty penny too. But in her mind, Regina was worth it.

Regina couldn't mask the smile if she wanted to. She didn't even really look at the ring before she moved in to kiss the blonde, "Of course I'll marry you." She whispered as she pulled away. It was as she let Emma put it on her finger that she realized how expensive it must have been—if there was one thing her mother taught her aside from power and pride, it was how to rate jewelry and this ring…was worth a lot. "Emma… this is much too expensive."

"No it's not." Emma smiled as she admired the ring, "I'll be making payments at the jewelry store for the next year or so, but it's worth it."

Regina gave the blonde a stern look before looking back down at the ring. She couldn't help noticing how gorgeous it was on her finger. Damn Emma knew how to pick a ring she couldn't say 'take it back and exchange for something sensible' to. She watched as the diamonds caught the light and looked back up to her. Before her last try at getting the blonde to exchange it, she received a kiss.

"It's already done. I've seen you see the ring. I'm not exchanging it. Just let me spoil you. You've never been spoiled before."

Regina leaned in for another kiss, "Do you think your parents could handle the girls by themselves? With Henry?"

"What are you asking me, lady?" Emma eyed her fiancée suspiciously.

"We could get a room at Granny's…" Regina stood and moved for the twins. "Just… a thought…" She shrugged.

Emma stood quickly, "I'll call Snow."

0~0~0~0~0~0

"Today is the day. I can feel it." Emma said as she plucked Jane up from her crib and turned to Regina, "Today, on this day off from work for Mommy and Momma, these two little girls that have decided to crawl, sit and stand early, will walk early too." Emma looked at the baby in her arms and kissed her cheek, "Isn't that right? You and Rayna are going to walk for Momma and Mommy so they can plan their wedding and have two walking flower girls-slash-ring bearers."

Jane simply clapped her hands happily, "Uhma, ma, duh, ba, ba, ba."

Emma smiled, "That's right." She kissed the baby's cheek again before leaning forward, pressing her forehead to Rayna, "Isn't that right, Rayna?"

Rayna grabbed her mother's cheek before Emma pulled away to watch the brunette twin clap happily as well.

"Buh, da, da, da, buh."

Regina smiled, "You might just be right, my love."

Emma leaned into the older brunette and waited for a kiss, "You go get breakfast, I'll deal with the poopy monsters."

After their morning routine, after the twins were settled for their morning naps, Emma and Regina sat on couch.

"Don't be frustrated." Regina leaned on Emma's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her middle, "They will get there."

"Yeah." Emma kissed Regina's hair, "I just wish it'd be soon."

0~0~0~0~0~0

It was soon. That afternoon in fact, Rayna and Jane decided to stand and walk to each other like it wasn't no thang.

And that set everything else in motion. Wedding plans filled every spare minute the women had. Work was ignored, the house was a wreck, Ruby or Charming and Snow were often elected to watch the now walking babies for the purposes of planning a wedding.

However, Ruby and their grandmother insisted on coming along to pick out their little flower girl dresses. Emma had noticed throughout their first year and some that one of her little girls screamed and screamed and screamed every time she wore a dress. So, after talking it over with her fiancée, they decided to let both girls pick a little dress or a little tux.

After everyone got to the shop, she looked at both her little babies. "Rayna and Jane?" She got their attention.

Both heads turned and looked at their blonde mother from trying to get snacks from their brunette mother.

"Come here." She motioned them over to her as she grabbed the tiny dress and the tiny tux. They both toddled over to their Momma and looked up at her. "Okay." Emma knelt down, holding up the cute, tiny garments, "Between this," she jiggled the dress, "And this," she jiggled the tux, "What do you want to wear?"

Both twins scrutinized the outfits. After a good chunk of time passed, Rayna tugged on the dress and ran back to Regina for her snack.

Emma looked at her blonde twin who was still looking between the two. She sat down, laid the outfits in front of her and pulled Jane into her lap, "You can wear whichever one you want. Mommy's going to wear a white dress, and Momma's going to wear a tuxedo." She pointed to either outfit. "You can match your sister and Mommy or you can match your brother and Momma. It doesn't matter, we just want you to wear what you want to wear…"

Jane leaned forward and picked up the tuxedo. "Dis." She said softly.

"Okay. That's fine, honey." Emma hugged her daughter close.

0~0~0~0~0~0

The wedding colors were red, champagne and white. As it turned out, Regina's dress was not white, but champagne; though it was strapless and had that sweetheart neckline. It was a mermaid dress with layered, choppy tulle that fell into a tasteful train. Her hair was finger-waved and pinned back to look like she walked out of the twenties.

Emma's hair was straight, pulled back in a slick ponytail—though she did manage to put in a small, tasteful braid that wrapped around the hair tie, hiding it from the world. Her tux was charcoal and her tie was champagne to match Regina's dress. Emma also talked Regina into getting champagne chucks.

Both women wore bright red lips and waterproof mascara.

Henry and Jane both wore charcoal suits as well, but their ties were red. Little Jane's tuxedo came with a red vest a well, and Emma and Regina couldn't help but put it on the tiny toddler and 'oooh' and 'awe'. Jane just liked the paisley pattern and that it was kind of shiny.

Rayna's dress was a red taffeta dress, with a bright champagne thick paisley ribbon that wrapped around her middle.

Both twins and Henry got to wear chucks as well. Henry and Jane's were red with champagne laces and Rayna's were champagne with red laces—chucks were the only shoes that anyone could get to stay on the twins' feet, and it was only fitting that Emma loved her chucks as much as her boots and all Henry owned were chucks in different colors.

Ruby had been asked to be Emma's best woman and Henry got to be Regina's maid of honor—or as he decided the term should be: Butler of Honor. Ruby, like Rayna, got to wear a red dress, which she had absolutely no problem with. Unlike Rayna, her heels were red as well.

Over the course of preparing for the wedding that was going to top all Storybrooke (and apparently storybook, if Snow had anything to say about it) weddings, everyone practiced with the twins on dropping the flower petals on the ground, but ultimately, they decided that Rayna and Jane would be better ring bearers. Each toddler got to wear a necklace with one of their mommies' rings on it.

As the music started and the twins were sent down the isle, they got a little intimidated by all the people. It took a moment but they finally looked forward and found their Momma walking down steps of an open gazebo. They held each other's hand and quickly made their way over to her.

Emma couldn't help but laugh as she was tackled by the two cutest kids in the world—she wasn't biased or anything. She kissed both of their cheeks, "Good job, girlies." She whispered as she set them down, took their hands and let them walk up the steps a little as Ruby and Henry made their way down the isle.

After the two took their places, Ruby had been instructed to take Jane and Henry to take Rayna. And the twins did fairly well, walking down to their person and taking their hand, but then Mommy started down the isle…

And it wasn't long before both of them broke from their assigned big person and ran back up the isle to their Mommy. Regina couldn't help but smile and laugh either. She knelt down and hugged them, though she could not pick them both up in her dress. Instead, she took one of each of their little hands and walked the rest of the way back up the isle. Henry came and walked his mother up the stairs, then picked up Rayna to prevent running away. And, Ruby did the same with Jane.

"Who gives away this woman?" The preacher asked as he gestured to Emma.

"Her mother and I do." Charming said from his spot on the front row.

"And who gives away this woman?" The preacher now gestured to Regina.

"All three of their children." Henry grinned as his brunette mother turned surprised—they had decided that they wouldn't ask who was giving Regina away as her parents were both six feet under; Henry apparently had other plans.

Regina reached out for his hand and squeezed it before turning back to the preacher.

The rest of the ceremony went off with very few hiccups. Emma was quite nervous and after Jane took off her necklace and give it to her, Emma couldn't get the thing undone to which she cursed then looked at the preacher to see if he heard. Then, finally after getting the clasp open, the ring fell from the strand and rolled down the stairs. That received a frustrated, "Fuck it all to hell!" as she chased after it, then after realization dawned that she not only cursed in front of the preacher, but said 'fuck'—the mother of all curse words she got flustered and said, 'damn it' and 'shit' a couple times before finally getting a hold of herself and asking the man to 'please, please, please still marry' them.

It was the reception that got a little wild, though Regina and Emma wouldn't know it. They danced their first dance to Jon McLaughlin's "So Close"—per Emma's initial suggestion and Regina's tremendous agreement that 'yes, the song did fit them perfectly'. They ate their cake and fed it to each other. Then they went home early and tucked the twins in. They were going on their honeymoon the next day and didn't really want to spend their last night with their children for the next week away from them.

The next morning, when Snow and Charming didn't show up, they called over to the apartment.

"Hello?" A sultry voice sighed into the phone.

"Uhh… Snow?" Emma asked.

"No, this is Ruby."

"Oh, uh.. Hey Rubes. What are you doing at my parents'?"

Regina turned around with wide eyes as she walked over to her wife and hugged her, placing her ear next to the phone so she could listen too.

Ruby sighed, "Oh. As I look around I see that I am in fact not in my home… I'm also naked… and I think I'm still a little drunk."

Emma and Regina looked at each other, "You're naked in my parents' apartment?"

"Yeah—"

"Ruby who is that?" The feminine voice had an accent.

Regina and Emma raised their brows.

"Belle?"

"No. Rumplestilskin… I'm standing right in front of you, who else could I be."

"You're standing in front of me naked. My apologies for not having my head on straight."

There was a sultry laugh, "You could definitely say that. But I wouldn't apologize for it." There was the distinct sound of smacking of lips.

"Uhhh… Ruby?" Emma asked into the phone.

"Hmm?!" Ruby groaned.

"Are you and Belle making out?"

"Mmmmmhmm."

Emma and Regina appreciated a woman that told the truth. They shrugged and tried a different approach as the knowledge that she was on the phone with someone and making out with someone didn't seem awkward to one Ruby Lucas, "Rubes?" Emma asked again.

"Hm?"

"Where're my parents?"

A loud thud and a "We are so late!" was heard.

"Uh… Well. They just opened the door…"

"Why are you both here? Naked? In my kitchen?" They heard Snow ask.

"Ruby was a little too drunk to walk home and you both forgot to drop us at Granny's, so Charming helped me bring her up here. Then… well we heard you two going at it and ever since I broke up with Rumple, I've been overly aroused and Ruby smelled it on me and… Well, I let her take full advantage."

"Well… that's scarring for a child to hear… That their parents were doing it so loud and raucously that it turned two people on and made them do it too…" Emma looked at her wife and handed her the phone, "I'm just going to go pack the twins in the car so we can get out of here sooner."

Regina smirked as she took the phone.

"Are you talking to someone, Ruby?" Snow asked.

"Oh, yeah, Emma. Emma? What do you want me to tell your mom?"

"It's Regina actually. Will you tell them that we are coming to them? We're going to be running late if we don't move out now…"

"Regina says they're coming here because they're running late now."

"Tell them we will be ready for them and for gods sakes, put some clothes on—Charming! Stop staring!"

"Snow says—"

"You know, Ruby? I heard her. I'm going to let you go so you can get those clothes on." The mayor hung up the phone and turned to start helping her wife load the kids.

0~0~0~0~0~0

Regina didn't want to deal with people. They both knew that would be the case. And they wanted to pamper themselves and not have people come to their door offering services, or tell them about the many services they offer every time they stepped outside.

So, when they chose Hawaii—the only tropical experience Regina had ever had was Neverland, and Emma was determined to rectify that—they opted to rent a cottage. And rent a cottage they did.

Emma wolf whistled after the grounds manager person gave them a tour, showed them the fully stalked fridge, showed them how the freakin' fancy equipment worked then left.

"Damn, Darlin'… I mean day-yum.." Emma said as she looked around the place. "Did you see the bed outside? Honey, we can be naked. Outside. For the next seven days and ain't nobody gonna know. Why? Because we rented the fancy cottage with the fancy eats and the fancy pool and we brought the home-spa massage crap and all the other pamper yourself thingies." She moved over to Regina and held her tight before kissing her cheek. "This… this is what a tropical vacation is, my love." Emma walked around the room.

"You are very, very excited…" Regina smirked as she moved their bag to the bedroom.

"You're not? We're here for a week to sleep and get tan and sleep and eat ridiculously expensive food at restaurants or cook ridiculously expensive food that we had 'pre-stalked' and do like nothing else."

"We should do some things touristy though, don't you think?"

"Like?"

"I don't know… But we need to bring Henry and the girls something."

"Oh, yeah… Them."

Regina gave her wife a look, "What? Your dreams have come true so now you're bored?"

Emma gave the brunette a wry grin, "Hell no." She walked over to her and started teasing the seam of her shirt, "Let's get naked, play in the pool, sleep… and maybe do some other things on the outside bed, stay in tonight and then tomorrow or the next day we can go out, be tourists get presents—Oh! Go to a luau? And then we can have more time to come back here and do nothing again… Or do that all two days in a row or three or four—but I would like to lazy-daze around this place for at least the rest of today and another full day before we leave…"

Regina smiled and raised her arms, letting her wife take her shirt off, "I'll let you get me naked and laze around today if we can do that stuff tomorrow."

Emma grinned a dirty grin, "Compromise. It's a beautiful thing when it means you naked." The blonde decided to end her statement with a kiss.

**AN: Thoughts and feels?**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: This is the last chapter…. I hope you enjoy. OH! And in my defense I had this written before I saw or heard about who's coming after the break… So that's just coincidental, haha.**

Epilogue:

The honeymooners came home and fell into their normal routine. Emma and Regina spent their sleeping hours together back in that resort for a while. Sometimes, they brought the kids, but most of the time, dream time was no longer rated G. Though even that faded as Emma liked to literally touch her wife and not just imagine that she did.

It had been a particularly troublesome day, as they all seemed to be now that the twins had hit their terrible, terrible twos. Rayna had been particularly vain and egocentric and Jane had become extra quiet as she was prone to. Trying to get one twin to quiet down and the other twin to open up was hard. But they made it through the day.

Emma and Regina tiredly threw all the throw pillows on the ground.

"Honey, why do we even have so many throw pillows? They just get in the way…" Emma rubbed her eyes as she dropped the last one on the ground.

"Because it makes the bed look presentable."

"And just who are you expecting to present the bed to?"

The brunette smirked over to her wife as she got in bed, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Emma got in and curled into her wife, "Now, that's not even funny."

"Not for you, but I get to see that spark of jealousy before you quickly realize I'm joking." Regina kissed the blonde's lips, "It's comforting to know that you can still get jealous even though the only person I was with in this land before you tried to leave me for you…"

"Well, Honey, you're a smart, independent, sexy, sophisticated woman. I am independent, sexy as hell and cunning sure, but I ain't so sophisticated. And if I can be smart, sexy and independent then anyone could be. So if a person adds sophisticated to the list then I might just be screwed… Or…" She casually spoke her next words, "I'll kill them and bury them in the woods."

Regina's brown eyes shown delight before she took in the blonde's last words. She remembered where she heard those words before, "Okay Helen Mirren."

Emma chuckled, happy that her wife could now pick out her quotes. "I watched part of RED today… before everything with the girls."

"Really? I never would have guessed."

Emma smiled contentedly at her wife's sarcasm and leaned in for a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Don't leave me for someone sophisticated."

"I promise." Regina kissed her again. "Don't leave me. Period."

"I promise."

They settled into their bed.

"What's going to happen now?" Regina turned slightly to look at the blonde.

"Sleep usually comes at this part of the day. I've found it to both be necessary and relaxing."

Regina rolled her eyes, "No… I mean when we fall asleep. We can't keep going to Hawaii or discuss all the things we need to do for the next few months or how we're going to handle the girls… We need to do something dream worthy."

Emma gave a big, long yawn before, "We need to use our imagination so the girls will be naturally imaginative too…"

Regina yawned too, "Exactly."

"I think I've got a good one. You'll follow me?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina looked around at the college campus, but something was off. Things were different…

"Emma?" She looked around for blonde hair and when she did find it, she saw those curls flailing about as she stood looking a little younger version of her wife in a designer blazer and skirt and high-heeled oxfords. And this version of her wife seemed… peppy. "Emma?"

Emma turned and gave the woman wide, surprised (more like conniving and cunning) eyes. She felt more than heard everyone else gasp. She looked around to find the people from town all a little younger, all pointing at her and saying 'green'.

She finally looked down at herself to find her hands were now tinted green. She looked up to the blonde, "Elphaba? Really? You took me to Shiz and made me green and the eventual wicked witch? You really think that's a good idea?"

Emma waved her hand, causing all their audience to leave, "Mmmmmmmm…. Hmm mm." She shook her head vigorously. Then she looked off in thought, "How about…?" Emma snapped her fingers.

Regina was falling. She was falling and she didn't have wings or control of their dream tonight.

Emma came from nowhere and caught her, "How about you let me be your wings?"

Regina looked around to see that everything they were passing was gigantic, each pumpkin, each lily pad could be danced on. A garden would be a forest if they landed on the ground.

"Thumbelina?"

"I like the love song. And the girls like movie… But instead of us getting separated, me getting frozen alive, you getting taken underground and being forced to marry the mole after the beetle embarrasses you, then me thawing out in the knick of time… Maybe we can have a little more fun together…"

"Maybe we can." Regina smiled and kissed her wife.

"So this is a good one? You're gonna let me be your wings." Emma started half-singing, "Let me be your only love; let me take you far beyond the stars."

Regina took her wife's face and kissed her soundly, "I'll let you."

Emma had heard those words plenty of times before, but every time she heard them they made her that much happier. She started flying higher and higher, "I love you."

"I love you too."

**AN: Like I said I wrote this before I had any knowledge of them bringing on the Wicked Witch of the West. I hope you enjoyed! Thoughts and feels? Please Read and Review!**


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